Furthest From Myself
by WastefulReverie
Summary: An accident during a ghost invasion leaves nearly a hundred citizens with inexplicable ghost powers. Little did they know, this was only the catalyst for a series of revelations. Updates every weekend!
1. Furthest From Myself

The dome rumbled viciously, the electric buzzing of the ghost shield spurring as it fought twice as hard to repel its assailant.

He was some sort of Viking ghost, a bulky specter with a braided green beard and a nasty snarl. He'd come out of nowhere, attacking the city with a ferocious skeleton army and wreaking havoc. Most towns had bomb shelters for these catastrophic events, but Amity Park wasn't a regular town一they had a ghost shield.

The entire town trekked toward Casper High, seeking refuge from the ghosts' havoc. This wasn't their first invasion, and definitely not their last. Phantom would arrive and save them soon; he was reliable like that. At the moment, he was occupied with the Viking's army, so all Amity could do was wait and hope that the ghost shield would hold up.

Things were looking fine, though. They weren't in denial… right?

Okay, maybe a little. This was cutting it a _bit_ close.

"Stay calm." Maddie Fenton's voice, amplified by her megaphone, carried like static throughout the dome. "Our ghost shield is strong enough to fend off an entire ghost army. One powerful deviant won't knock it out!"

That's what she said, but her expression said otherwise. Pale green lights and odd shadows contoured her face underneath the dark, afternoon sky. Her violet eyes were clouded with doubt, eyebrows drawn together in concentration.

Could they do anything except wait for Phantom? What if he was defeated by the Viking's army before he could save them? What then?

The Viking struck the shield again, and the entire dome crackled. People shrieked in alarm, but the shield snapped back into place. A young girl held her hand over her heart, and an elder man took off his glasses and placed them in his lap, counting his breaths.

Just a little bit longer.

"How long is this going to take?" Star scoffed. She and Paulina sat on the curb, watching the shield shimmer above them with a resolved kind of apathy.

"Mi amor _is _a bit slow today," Paulina sighed. "I hope he isn't hurt!"

"He's not hurt." Star rolled her eyes. "He's _Phantom_. He's like invincible!"

"That's right, but I _worry_. This entire thing is a drag. I wish I was out there with him instead stuck in here with all these _losers_." She eyed a group of nerds sitting a few feet away.

"I know right?" Star narrowed her eyes over to the teens, who appeared to have a few textbooks on the ground between them. She giggled. "Are they doing homework out here?"

"Qué?" Paulina raised a brow. She looked over to them again. "Oh my God, they are! That's just too pathetic!"

"Who seriously thinks, 'Hey, this is a life-endangering situation, let's sit down and hit the books!'" Star choked. "That's _true_ geek culture if I've seen it."

"It's really kind of sad. Like geez, we're probably gonna be fine, but can they _not_ wait to nerd out?"

Star puffed her chest out and plugged her nose so her voice was nasally. "_Oh look at me, studying during a ghost attack! I'm going to be valedictorian! Because God knows I still have my _other_v-card_一"

The dome shook again.

Star looked up to see the Viking trying a new tactic. He'd torn some electrical lines apart and was holding the wires over his shoulders like whips. He charged them with some ectoplasmic energy and assaulted the ghost shield again, but…

Before she could blink, the entire dome seized with energy, blinding its occupants. Branches of ectoplasmic energy arched from the ghost shield, shooting forward and pouring into any body it could find.

It all happened too fast. Green energy surged forward and tore straight into Star's chest… wracking her body with unimaginable… _agony_.

_Fuck_一!

Her vision spun, and her world became pain. Her entire body felt like it was dissolving from the inside out. Her blood boiled and froze, erratic muscles and eyes rolling back into her skull…

Everything was dark, but the pain didn't recede. She felt her legs leave her and she crumpled onto the concrete, broken and somehow changed. It was something simplistic and innate, an inner _wrongness_ within and Star didn't like it. She wanted it _out_.

Someone was saying her name, but her mind was far from coherent. Pain mangled her senses. Something wet left her lips… blood? The world was fading, but the sensation was far from dull. Fading was sharp, like a knife twisting underneath her skin. Without struggle, Star slipped into the deep threshold of sleep.

(Or perhaps, death?)

* * *

_Ninety-seven injured. One dead._

Once the dome collapsed under the ectoplasmic electricity, Maddie and Jack Fenton took care of the ghost. It was a tiresome battle, resulting in Jack's arm in a sling, but they managed to weaken the specter in the nick of time.

Just when they hit rock bottom, Phantom arrived to finish him off. Phantom was worn down, bleeding ectoplasm in about five different places, but he defeated the Viking with his ghostly wail, captured him in his thermos, and swiftly flew away.

_Ninety-five injured. Three dead._

It took too long for ambulances to arrive. Most of the city had hidden under the shield, which immensely buffered the hospital's response time. That, and it wasn't exactly easy to transport over ninety people, each needing critical medical attention.

Everyone was in shock. How had this happened? _Why_ had this happened? And could any of the injured ever recover? They'd all been electrocuted with that ectoplasm.

_Ninety-four injured. Four dead._

The emergency room was swarmed. It was difficult to keep family members at bay and they were severely understaffed一two or three staff members were injured themselves. It was awful luck that out of the two-thousand residents of Amity Park, almost one hundred people had been caught in the mess of electricity. And they couldn't even provide adequate medical care _because _one hundred people had been electrocuted. Not even just electrocuted… there was something else too, something _strange_ that didn't take long to notice.

The patients' vitals were impossible. Resting heart-rates of 20-40 bpm, hypothermic temperatures, entire limbs slipping out of IV drips. These weren't electrocution symptoms, this was definitely otherworldly. They needed the Fentons, but the Fentons were trying to dismantle the ghost shield so it didn't malfunction again.

This was a disaster.

About half the patients were stabilized overnight, while the other half remained in the ER. The Fentons were called into the hospital the next morning, bags drawn under their eyes and subsisting off of coffee. They pulled Jack into the ER to treat his injured arm while Maddie reviewed the condition of some of the patients.

_Ninety-two injured. Six dead._

Maddie determined that all the patients were showing some degree of ecto-contamination as a result of the electrocution. Some patients were floating above their beds, some were turning invisible, some were phasing through the medical equipment, and others were glowing.

However, she was still baffled. Ecto-contamination never yielded these symptoms—at least she had never seen anything this severe. But it was the only probable explanation because humans _couldn't_ have ghost powers. This was all just… sickness, possession, contamination.

And she had to expunge it before more lives were lost.

She informed the hospital staff of her findings, and many of them were shaken. She was too, but she had established a thin veneer for herself. She had to take leadership here. She was the only person who knew what was happening and could take charge.

She discussed her ideas with Jack. If they were going to save these people, they needed their materials. But should they even leave the hospital? What if something happened?

With paranoia suspended above them like a dark cloud, they called back-up. It was ten in the morning and school had been cancelled一Danny and Jazz were likely awake already. Maddie called Jazz and instructed her to collect a plethora of materials from the lab to bring to the hospital. About an hour later, their children arrived at the hospital.

Her daughter was poorly put together一her eyes were shot and her gray sweater was lumpy. Danny trailed behind his sister and glanced around the lobby, apparently anxious. The bags under his eyes were also defined, but that was just Danny; lately, he'd been sleep deprived under regular circumstances.

Maddie was just relieved that her children were here and _safe_. So many children and teenagers had been injured last night, and it could have been them. But it hadn't. It hadn't been them, and they were alright. They were _lucky_.

Maddie stepped forward and pulled both of them into a hug. Danny stumbled into her arms and choked back a gasp.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Maddie whispered.

"Yeah," Jazz agreed.

Danny hummed in response and stepped back. Their hug fell apart, and Danny averted his eyes to the ceiling instead. He was obviously skittish, but she couldn't blame him一many of his classmates had been among the injured. He was likely more frazzled than she initially assumed.

"Well, I should probably help you guys get those materials from the car," Maddie said. "I hope you were able to find everything, I know that some of the stuff was sort of buried."

"It was fine," Jazz assured lightly. "Danny's a _whiz _at going through things."

Danny coughed and elbowed his sister. Jazz kept a cool expression and took his assault with stride.

Maddie decided she missed the punchline and decided not to acknowledge it. After all, teenagers and their antics could pull an inside joke out of thin air.

They worked together to carry the first load of boxes from the car, which was only five boxes altogether. Maddie never realized how heavy their devices were until they were all stacked together. It was astounding that her children managed to pack all these boxes under an hour.

But before they could start their second trip to the car, Maddie received a phone call from Jack. That was odd; Jack rarely used his cellphone. When Jack explained why he called, Maddie felt her stomach drop_… __what was he saying?_

"That's impossible," she denied.

"It's true!" His voice was frantic and unnerved. "It happened right in front of me! I'm on the eighth floor, room 832."

"I一I'll be right there." She hung up the call, aware that Jazz and Danny were carefully watching her.

"Was that Dad?" Danny asked.

"Was it one of the patients?" Jazz tensed. "What happened?"

Maddie shook her head. This was all too disorienting. "We don't know yet but I have to go _now_." She grabbed her pursed and turned toward the elevators. "I'm sorry I can't help you with those boxes一"

"Don't worry about it." Jazz waved her hand dismissively. "We have you covered."

"Thank you so much, sweetie. You two are lifesavers."

Maddie spun and waved down the nurse getting onto the elevator to hold the doors for her.

She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to assert her thoughts. Even though she doubted Jack's claim, she couldn't let her preconceptions cloud her judgment. She had to do her job and they couldn't afford human error, especially when lives were at stake. If there was one thing for sure, it was that this entire day was a mess.

* * *

Danny and Jazz watched their mother disappear upstairs, urgency drawn across her face. Danny gave Jazz a pointed look. "I have to follow her."

Jazz groaned. "Danny一"

"You _know_ why I have to check! And you can't stop me, either. These people clearly have powers. It's all anyone's talking about. My ghost sense is going off like crazy too!"

"But what you're suggesting is crazy," Jazz said darkly. "You and Vlad… you're one一_two_一in a million. All those people _can't _be halfas."

"And why not? I'm one. I was electrocuted with ectoplasmic energy and so were they. It's really not that different! Even if they aren't full-fledged halfas, I have to check!"

She sighed. "You have a point. I'm just having trouble wrapping my mind around this. I just never thought… it'd be so _easy_ for someone to become like you. And now there's so many…"

"I thought so too," he murmured. "But if I'm right, I can help them. I'm the _only_ person who knows what this is like. Please." He took his sister's hand. "_Trust me, Jazz_."

Jazz bit her lip. "Be safe, alright?"

"I'll try."

Danny moved to let go of her hand, but she held on to it firmly. He met her eyes with surprise, taken aback by their palpable tenderness.

"Be _safe_," she repeated.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I won't do anything _especially _life-threatening today if that's what you're worried about."

She let go of his hand and smiled. "Good. Now… I guess it's up to me to take care of those boxes."

"Yeah… sorry about that."

"Like I told Mom, I'll manage." She nudged him. "Now go do your thing."

Danny left the lobby and found a deserted alcove where he could transform. He changed into Phantom and phased through the hospital, searching for room 842. Or was it room 832?

_Shit_. He'd already forgotten.

_Good going, Fenton. Half-ghost, superhero, and lousy investigator. You're already off to a good start._

"一this way Dr. Fenton," a voice instructed.

Danny turned and found his Mom, who was being guided toward room 832 by a nurse. He flew closer to trail behind them.

"It's not good," the nurse said. She was a thin woman with cropped, brown hair and striking blue eyes. "There was all this light and then… he just _changed_一" her voice cracked. "Frightened the hell out of both of us. He's not dealing with it well."

Maddie's expression was guarded, but Danny knew her well enough to see beneath her guise. She was scared because she didn't understand what was happening. She was confused, and that terrified her.

"Changed in what way?" she asked.

Short and to the point.

The nurse struggled for words. "It was like…well, it's better if you just see it. Just don't freak out一you might startle him more."

They were standing in front of the room now. The curtains were drawn, acting as a barrier between the rest of the hospital and inside. The nurse looked to Maddie one more time and Maddie nodded. They stepped into the room and Danny followed, floating at their side.

Jack was already inside, fiddling with a device with his good arm. It wasn't one of the ones that they had brought from the lab so Danny figured it was one of his recent projects, one of those enhanced ghost detectors. He couldn't be positive, though.

Aside from Jack, there was an entire team of doctors, nurses, and various medical associates all standing around the bed, obscuring the patient from sight. They bustled around the room, at a loss.

Danny flew a few feet higher and looked down…the man had indigo hair, pale white skin, and glowing red eyes. He was wearing a hospital gown, but it was dark-orange rather than teal, similarly to how Danny's hazmat suit had inverted when he was electrocuted.

He was exactly what he'd expected.

_A halfa._

This guy was an _actual _halfa.

Danny couldn't believe that he'd been correct. He wasn't… _alone_ anymore. There were other people一people besides _Vlad_一that were like him! His core spasmed with joy. He wasn't isolated, wasn't his own species, wasn't the only _freak_一

And now these people carried the same burden that he carried. His momentary elation dissolved as he processed what ninety new halfas meant: initial panic, insecurity upon insecurity, spontaneous power malfunctions and stress that your very existence will hurt someone, and the crushing realization that you're something inhuman, something erroneous and _wrong_.

Being a halfa was difficult. Being a halfa was painful. And these people, these _innocent _people… didn't deserve this.

He was selfish for thinking that this was a good thing. This was a tragedy, and he should feel ashamed. After all, it's all his fault that this happened to these people in the first place. If he hadn't wasted all that time fighting the Viking's army, he could've stopped the Viking before he electrocuted all those people.

Danny grit his teeth. _How am I a hero?_

Danny glanced back at the patient below him. He was scared out of his mind, shaking like a leaf and staring at his hands like they weren't his own. His aura curled around him as he trembled.

It brought back some memories, but Danny dismissed them. He'd rather forget his first experiences as a halfa. That sick realization that he wasn't the same person he had been… that wasn't pleasant.

"He still has a heartbeat!" someone announced. "But how?"

Maddie coughed. "May I see?"

She was still standing by the door, behind the hospital staff. A dark-skinned woman moved, allowing Maddie full view of the patient. Her eyes went wide and she gasped. "_Impossible_."

"Isn't it, Mads?" Jack looked up from his device. He waved it around the room and scowled. "This was going off before he… changed, but now it's off the charts! It's like he's an actual ghost! I can't understand one bit of it."

"This is _beyond_ contamination." Maddie shook her head. "This is something new."

Well, new to them.

Maddie moved forward and gently touched his shoulder. "He's corporeal...but cold." She stared at the man, who appeared to be on the verge of hyperventilation. "How do _you_ feel?"

"W一weird," he stuttered. "The world is tilted, like my depth perception is just wrong… and everything feels tingly. Am I一am I moving my fingers?"

Danny remembered that. When he first got his powers, his entire body felt like it was distant and numb. He could feel, but it didn't feel like he was in his own skin. His core was fluttery and light and carried an odd weight in his chest. Over time, he adapted and ignored those sensations, and now they were just part of him.

"You are moving your fingers," Maddie said slowly. "What were you doing when this"—she gestured to him—"happened?"

He averted his eyes to the far corner of the room. "I was just here and watching TV, and then I felt really cold, like I'd swallowed a bunch of ice. Mainly in my chest, kinda below my heart, and the more I thought about it, the deeper it felt. And then there was just this light, and then it washed over me, and… and—"

"Go on," Maddie pressed.

Tears welled beneath his eyes. Green tears. "And then the coldness just spread ev—everywhere, and I look like a _ghost_. Am I dead? Did I just _die_?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," a doctor said. "You have a heartbeat, so if that indicates anything… no. You're still alive."

Maddie's lips thinned. "But is a heartbeat really the line between life and death?"

"Mrs. Fenton一" The doctor gave her a pointed look. From what Danny could tell, he was telling her to drop it in front of the patient. Maddie frowned and conceded.

That was probably a good choice, it wouldn't do well to scare the patient any further.

"So…" Jack butted in. "You changed to look like a ghost, but you're still alive underneath it all. Maybe you can try to change back?"

"And一and how the hell would I do that?" the man sputtered. "I don't even know how I did this! I didn't want this to happen! I didn't want your fucking ghost shield to electrocute me!"

Without warning, the man's body floated from the bed and phased through the sheets. The man flapped his arms in alarm, shouting incomprehensibly. Danny instinctively floated out of the way, but then the patient fell. The hospital bed groaned under his weight and he gasped for air, clearly shaken.

For a good twenty seconds, no one moved nor spoke. Finally, a nurse ran her hand over her face and said, "What the hell was that?"

"Flight," Jack responded, wide-eyed. "You flew!"

The patient shook his head. "I一I didn't mean to!"

"We know that," Jack assured him. "It's still just… _impossible_!"

"This isn't fucking fair. I'm normal!"

Danny felt another pang of pity slice through his demeanor. By all means, this man _should_ be normal. But he wasn't because Danny had taken too long to arrive and fight the Viking ghost. If only he'd been faster.

But what good would it do to linger on things he couldn't change?

"Hey," a doctor soothed, "I'm sure the Fentons will find a way to fix this. They _are_ the experts."

Sure, experts that didn't know anything about halfas.

"We'll try," Maddie said weakly.

They worked for a few minutes, observing the patient's vitals but nothing made sense. Many of the doctors were called to treat other patients and the crowd around the man's bed dissipated. There wasn't much that anyone could do at the moment, much to the patient's frustration. Eventually, Maddie pulled Jack out into the hallway to speak, and Danny receded to the corner of the patient's room, observing the new halfa.

The man lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Danny could see the cogs in his head, turning, trying to piece together what he _was_ now.

Danny was tempted to reveal himself, to let go of his invisibility and assure the man that everything would be okay. That he wasn't alone, and they weren't the first people like this. That he could still maintain a normal life.

But that would be a lie. Danny didn't have a normal life anymore. But maybe… maybe this guy would. Maybe he would be luckier than Danny in that respect.

That's what he hoped.


	2. Closer to the Stars

Most of the patients had woken up by now. Many of them spiraled into a panic when they processed what had happened to them and that they were exhibiting powers. Some took their anger out on the staff, spitting accusations and threatening to place lawsuits. Others blamed the Fentons and their ghost-shield一they were the experts after all! They should have foreseen this and included a failsafe! Meanwhile, a select few slipped into a reserved silence, perturbed by their new powers.

There was an air akin to horror within the entire facility. Word traveled fast and they wouldn't be able to keep this under wraps for long. Soon, it would spread outside the hospital and then to the media. Then,_everyone_ would know.

Hopefully the government would keep their distance. That'd be a pain to deal with.

"Ugh," Danny groaned. "I don't know what I should do, Jazz."

They were on one of the upper floors now. After Danny monitored the patient for a few minutes, he helped Jazz transport the rest of the boxes upstairs. Mom met them with gracious apologies and took everything from there, whisking boxes under her arm and frantically talking herself through possible procedures.

"You two stay here for now," she instructed. "We have a lot to figure out and right now I'd feel a lot more comfortable if you two aren't directly involved. These people… they're struggling. They could be dangerous, even if they don't mean to be."

They nodded.

"We understand, Mom," Jazz said.

Maddie huffed and brushed her hair away from her goggles. Her mouth was ajar as if she were tempted to speak but was holding back. She looked between her children and her notebook and sagged.

"Alright. Love you both."

She whirled around and vanished into the motion of the hospital. Danny and Jazz silently settled on some waiting benches, observing the madness.

"What do you think you _should_ do?" Jazz asked, picking up from where they had left off before.

Danny looked down, playing with the hem of his jeans. "These halfas… nobody knows how to help them, nobody except _me_. But if I do anything I'd put myself at risk and I don't… don't know."

"You're still deciding," Jazz summed up.

He blushed. "Yeah."

"That's alright," she consoled. "You don't have to do anything at the moment. But… where do you think you'll draw the line? What will it take for you to make that decision? Before or after someone goes too far? Because like you said, nobody knows how to help them. By not doing anything you're trusting that nothing bad will happen if you just sit by." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not trying to pressure you, I'm just preparing you. Because I know that with your… heroics you don't _like_ sitting by when something poses a threat to others."

Danny gulped. The way she put it, if he didn't do anything now, things _could_ progressively decline. People could get hurt as a result of his parents' and the hospital's ignorance. And once that happened… it might be too late.

Revealing his secret was the best option. If he outed himself, he could save so many people! But exposure came with a price. A price of two years of lies he wasn't ready to claim.

He didn't want to be here anymore. Deep down, he knew he should've stopped the Viking sooner. Then he wouldn't have to make this choice and all these people would be normal again.

Danny repeated it like a mantra一what he _should_ have done.

"Danny?"

He flinched. "I get it."

Should he take the plunge?

He was scared, scared of all the repercussions. Mom and Dad… they'd been so relieved that he hadn't been affected by this. Could he really drop the bomb on them that he's been some half-ghost freak of nature all along? Could he really disappoint them like that? Could he admit that he was the town's hero, their worst enemy, and ideal specimen?

Jazz's eyes darted around the hall. She reached out again but drew her hand back. "I didn't… I really didn't mean to stress you ou一"

"No. I needed to hear that. That's the truth. You're right."

"I could've worded that better," she said.

"I have to do this, don't I?" Danny realized. "Before I get in too deep again. I have to stop lying so these people don't go through _my_ worst fears. Because that isn't fair."

Jazz shook her head. "I didn't say _that_."

"But it's true!" he said. "All these lies… have been snowballing. This is inevitable. I'm going to have to come forward now before it gets worse! Because there's these people, and they're just innocent! They didn't walk into a ghost portal! They didn't break their parents' rules! They didn't goof off and put a HAZMAT suit on and pose for some stupid pictures and trip on a fucking wire! They were just trying to stay safe and I couldn't keep them safe!"

His eyes were glowing green now, but Jazz didn't flinch. She frowned, but she didn't speak. She didn't respond.

"Jazz?" he whispered.

She met his gaze. "Whatever… whatever you think is best. I just want what's best for you and if you think that this is what will ease your conscience… I support you. And I hope you know that none of this is your fault, no matter what your core or whatever says."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess you kinda get it."

"I love you a lot. You know that, Danny?"

He knew that. But there was a distinction between knowing and active realization. Her words broke through his mental barrier.

It was easy to dismiss Jazz as just some nosy, overbearing nuisance一but at times like this she really shined. She was his rock, more than Sam and Tucker in some respects. There were just some things about their family that other people would _never_ understand, but Jazz got it. She _got_ him. She understood his obsession and his unhealthy tendency to just shoulder all the blame. She cared enough about him that she would try to help navigate all his self-centered bullshit一that really was love.

"Yeah," he said. "I know that. You're really gushy, though. And a loser."

"And you're a dork with a hero-complex who _never _shuts up." She shoved him. "Kinda dramatic too with those _angry _eyes."

"Not anything I didn't know." He shrugged and glanced around the hallway, searching for something.

He turned back to Jazz. "Do you know where the bathroom is?"

"I think Mom said it's down that hallway, on the right." She pointed. "You good or…?"

"Don't worry," he assured. "I _actually _have to pee so don't freak out on me."

He stood up from their bench and started down the hallway. But on his way to the bathroom, he felt something… something almost familiar. And _bad_.

His core flared, sensing something amiss. He glanced around for the source of the issue but didn't see anything. Nothing was here. Yet he could feel it. It was getting stronger. Dull heat curled around that cold cavity in his chest, his core, almost… electric.

_Oh_.

He should've known. When in doubt, his parents opted for natural remedies before they attempted anything drastic. _Blood blossoms. _

Mom and Dad had used blood blossoms in their research before, but Danny had feigned an allergy, convincing them to place their research on hold. Clearly, they hadn't gotten rid of all the flowers. And if he could sense them _this_ _far away,_ then these were likely a modified strain.

The bathroom could wait.

He focused on his core and tried to sense where the blood blossoms were. The pain was thin, but nearby. Something resonated in the air _above him_. The blood blossoms were only about ten feet above him, on the next floor.

He was tempted to float up to the next floor but that was too risky. The pain around his core would increase if he drew too much on his powers. Luckily, he was near the elevators.

He hopped to the next floor and spun around, searching.

Mom and Dad _had_ to be close一he could still feel those flowers. The pain was getting deeper, hotter. He hoped he could stop them before it was too late, before they administered blood blossoms to an unsuspecting patient.

"Now which room did you say she was in?" Maddie asked.

Danny whirled around and spotted his parents standing by a familiar-looking nurse. Dad was holding a mini-cooler, one of the things that Danny had packed into Jazz's car. He felt another pang of pain and _knew_. The blood blossoms were in the cooler. Danny had no idea how he hadn't sensed them earlier but if he had to guess, Jack probably placed them inside something that negated their effects to preserve them. He'd seen schematics for a device like that in the lab forever ago, so it was probable.

One thing was for sure; he had to dispose of them, soon.

"I'll take you to her," the nurse said. "Ms. Ishiyama has agreed to experimental procedures, but we haven't gotten her family's signatures yet. Things are sort of hectic, so if you proceed with this… there could be consequences."

They were walking now, and Danny trailed closely behind.

Jack nodded. "We understand. Though, blood blossoms aren't especially harmful. They're anti-ecto plants, so these should flush her system of contamination with ease. If anything goes south, we'll stop immediately."

Danny paled. Things _would _go south. And once Ms. Ishiyama was exposed to those flowers, they wouldn't be able to cure her so easily. He had to stop them, but… how?

His parents and the nurse filed into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Danny stood outside and peered through the crack in the door.

Principal Ishiyama was splayed across the hospital bed. She was also wearing one of those teal hospital gowns, which struck Danny as weird because he had never seen her wear anything but blazers and skirts. Even more peculiar were her legs. They were vaporous, yet still semi-tangible and clearly trying to form a spectral tail. She didn't appear worried, but she was _definitely _agitated.

Danny empathized with her, remembering when he adjusted to having a tail. He mostly had problems with it in ghost form—not human form—but it was still a major pain. These days, he just let his legs do whatever felt natural, sliding from legs, into a single appendage and back一like water. It was one of those things that took time to accept, and… he'd definitely taken a while.

Ishiyama's head snapped up when she realized that she wasn't alone. She pitifully attempted to hide her legs, but yet they still remained vaporous. "Mr. and Dr. Fenton一"

She cut herself off and exhaled a wisp of blue air. She sensed him, or at least her core had. Danny's own ghost sense hadn't gone off much in the hospital since many of the patient's cores weren't mature enough for him to detect, but this meant that she was developing. Her powers were becoming more well-rounded.

Maddie frowned. "What was that?"

Ishiyama shook her head. "I一I don't know."

"That air was blue," Jack observed. "You saw that, right Mads? It's probably her lungs rejecting the ectoplasm in her body. Her body's trying to expel it any way possible. That's my bet."

Maddie held a hand to her face. "Possibly… but I'm not sure. There's a number of possibilities, so try not to jump to conclusions, honey."

"Right, that's true."

Ishiyama coughed. "So, what do you two need? Just checking up or…?"

Maddie shook her head. "You opted to let us test possible solutions to… _this_. We may have something, but you have to be open to it."

The woman shifted, glancing between the Fentons and her incorporeal legs. "I'm alright with about anything."

Jack placed the mini-cooler on Ishiyama's bedside table, and Danny felt his stomach _sink_.

This was happening. His parents were going to administer blood blossoms to a halfa. And he couldn't fucking think or move or do _anything_一

With his good hand, Jack popped open the cooler and everything tilted. Grating pain pulled at his core and tested his limits.

Danny couldn't tell if Ishiyama felt it, but he was definitely affected from here. Probably because his core was much more mature, and he'd already been exposed to blood blossoms. Instinctually, he knew that he needed to _leave_, to get away from that cooler before his entire core was dissolved, but he couldn't… couldn't leave Ishiyama.

Danny ground his teeth. _Why was this so fucking difficult?_

Jack rummaged through the cooler and selected a tube of murky, red liquid. "This is a vial of concentrated blood blossoms," he explained, twirling the vial with his fingers. "Blood blossoms are a natural ghost repellent that expel ectoplasm from your body. They're a bit archaic, but we've proved that these flowers _do_ work well on ghosts."

Danny's blood chilled. _Don't say it. Ancients, _don't _say it_一

"Think of it as natural medicine. You just have to down it like Pepto-Bismol."

He said it. Why did he have to say it?

Ishiyama eyed the vial suspiciously. Danny guessed that she probably felt something inside her, but was dismissing it.

That wasn't good, if she was actually going for it…

"Alright," she said.

_Damn it_.

Jack handed her the vial, and she held it with shaking hands. Danny thought she might back down, but instead she twisted the lid off.

This was happening too fast. Why was this happening fast? Why wasn't she stopping herself? Why wasn't he stopping her? Why was he _letting this happen_一

And then, Danny moved. He snapped out of his stupor, phased through the door, and flew over to Ishiyama's hospital bed.

The vial was inches from touching her lips. Panicking, he slapped it out of her hand. The vial clattered to the floor and splashed onto Danny's hand, dissolving his skin like acid. It hurt like hell and he bit his lip to prevent from crying out. At this, the nurse shrieked, but Danny ignored her. He had to focus.

The rest of the blood blossom concentration pooled onto the floor, and he kept it from running across the linoleum by subtly phasing off one of his socks and using it as a makeshift rag. Now that that was taken care of, he clutched his burned hand. Ectoplasm seeped from his wound, and he tried to hide it by wiping his hand on his jeans, but it was a futile effort.

Everyone's attention was on him now. His parents were wide-eyed, Ishiyama was trembling in shock, and the nurse held her hand over her heart, panting.

_Shit_.


	3. Invaded by the Dark

"D一Danny?" Maddie stuttered. "Wha一?"

He'd captured the room. Everyone's attention was on him now. His parents were wide-eyed, Ishiyama was trembling in shock, and the nurse held her hand over her heart, panting.

Wonderful. Absolutely _wonderful_.

Absently, Danny wondered if there were bandages anywhere. This _was _a hospital, after all. This burn really needed to be wrapped… and that would give him an excuse not to respond.

(_Like you have an option.)_

Danny swallowed a lump in his throat. "The blood blossoms weren't going to help her. She's not contaminated, no one is."

_Great job, Fenton. You've earned an A+ for ominous statements._

Jack's face fell. "Danno… what are you talking about? What just… how did you…? And your hand?"

The silence that occupied the room was suffocating. It snaked down Danny's throat and _squeezed_ his lungs.

He couldn't breathe. His mind was a void.

Was he supposed to speak now? How could he explain this? Was he supposed to tell the truth? He knew that he'd decided that it was time for him to fess up, but he hadn't anticipated it being this soon.

This was cruel. This had to be a joke.

"Danny!" Maddie exclaimed. She swayed back for a moment, seemingly nervous. "What do you _mean _nobody's contaminated?"

Danny leaned toward the window and realized how small this room was. He swallowed. "They… they're not contaminated because they've changed."

"You don't know that," Maddie argued.

Danny's brows tightened. "Yeah, I do."

Here it was: the admission. Owning up to all his lies, his nasty little secrets. It was all out in the open for his parents to analyze at their own expense. He'd entrusted them to decide whether they still wanted him—some _undead _creature—as their son.

(He was scared shitless.)

"I've been like them for a while. Two years," he whispered. He'd repressed this for so long, saying it aloud… felt so wrong. "It's permanent, treatment won't help一I've tried. And don't say that I don't know what I'm doing." He clenched his fists, failing to bite back the accusation in his tone. "You can't _unkill _someone一we're ghosts. Well, half-ghosts, technically, but poisoning us with blood blossoms _isn't _going to help."

For a moment, Danny wondered if Clockwork had intervened and frozen time. His parents stood, paralyzed, and the nurse lingered behind them, in awe. Maddie's mouth hung open for a moment.

But then, Jack blinked and licked his lips. "That can't be right?" He sounded feverish. It was so out of character for a lumbering man like Jack Fenton, Danny almost couldn't believe his ears.

Maddie finally snapped her mouth shut. "That's not possible. Danny… you don't know what you're talking about. Mrs. Ishiyama and the others, we don't know _what _they have, but it's not whatever you've convinced yourself一"

"I haven't 'convinced' myself of anything!" he cut her off. "I'm telling you the truth! I'm half-ghost! For the past two years I've lived with this and kept it a secret because I didn't know what it was at first. But now I understand it more and I can help these people, even if you don't see that."

Jack leaned forward and placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. Contact with his father felt _wrong_, especially now. He shouldn't be一_shouldn't_ be touching him. Still, he couldn't do anything. Begrudgingly, Danny forced himself to ignore the itch to phase through Jack's hand and endured it.

"Son, I know it's hard to process, but I think you're jumping to conclusions. These people may look like ghosts, but that's not any reason to accuse them of _being_ ghosts. They're just… sick. After all, ghosts can't be alive. And _you're_ not a ghost."

"Then how do you explain that man earlier?" Danny accused.

His parents' expressions wavered. He wasn't supposed to know about that man, the one who'd changed into his ghost-half, because supposedly Danny Fenton hadn't been in the room.

"The one with the blue hair and orange gown? I was there, I _saw_ him. He was as much of a ghost as Phantom. But he was still alive, he had a heartbeat." He met both his parents' eyes. "You can't deny the facts."

Maddie paled. "H一how did you know about that? You weren't there, you stayed downstairs."

"That's what I said I did, but I followed you. And when I saw that guy… I knew. I knew that he was like me. _Half-ghost_. Everyone that was shocked by the ghost shield? They aren't the first. I went through this two years ago when I got shocked by the portal and died一"

Jack's face was red, "Stop saying that! You didn't die. You're not a _ghost_!"

This wasn't going well. They were still in denial. He needed to do something to prove it to them, to give them irrefutable evidence. But… it wasn't going to be pretty.

Danny clenched his fists. "I didn't want to believe it for a long time either, but I faced the facts. First, I was electrocuted, I have ghost powers." His eyes glowed green. "And I can transform into a _ghost_."

He pulled on his core and wrapped his ghost form around himself. A halo of light appeared around his waist and expanded, replacing his navy hoodie with glossy, black spandex. His blood chilled and the halo ascended over his head and changed his eyes green and hair white.

The transformation was finished but Danny didn't feel like it. It was like there was a concentration of ice below his esophagus. No matter how hard… he just _couldn't_ swallow.

Ishiyama was the first to breathe. "What the _hell_?"

He looked up at his parents, and they seemed almost _broken_. He could see the cogs in their heads failing to turn, blankly registering that their own son had just changed into their worst enemy.

In hindsight, maybe he should've issued a stronger warning. He should have explained more instead of just making the transformation on a whim. But instead, he'd jumped the gun and broken his parents.

_Great! Just great!_

"M一om." His voice crackled with an otherworldly echo. "_Dad_."

Maddie's eyes were wide. "Da一Danny?"

What could he say? What _should_ he say? _Not good, not good, not good_.

"I'm, uh, Danny Phantom," he managed.

_Duh._

"Get it, because Danny Fenton… Danny Phantom?"

Predictably, they didn't respond. Jack's eyes watered, and Danny wasn't sure if he was crying or if it was because he'd been staring for so long.

Danny swallowed. "Ancients… I'm _such_ an idiot."

Jack shook his head. "No, _no_."

This was it. His parents were going to reject him. Nobody wanted some half-dead freak for their son. Especially Maddie and Jack Fenton—ghost hunters. He was a disgrace to the family, a disappointment, just a lab rat. Of course they had every right to disown him, to cast him out. He wasn't right… and even if they could accept halfas, could they really accept _him_? Their son, Danny, who lied to them for so long? Their enemy, Phantom, who terrorized the town and their research?

He didn't blame them. In their shoes, he'd reject himself too.

"Danny, you're not an idiot," Jack said.

_What?_

"It… this makes… sense. But it doesn't."

Maddie took a steady breath. "Jack… what do you mean?"

"I don't… I don't understand how you can be Danny," Jack explained "You're一you're Phantom! But you were just Danny… so that means that you have to be him. And I can't wrap my mind around that. But even though I can't process that, I still know it's true. And if that's true—if he's half-ghost, like he said—that means that everyone else is half-ghost?"

Danny blinked. Jack got it? And he actually… didn't hate him?

"I一um, yeah?" Danny stuttered. "You believe me?"

"How can't we? Look, I don't know how I feel about… _this_… but it's clear that you weren't making this ghost thing up." Maddie said.

Suddenly, he felt guilty all over again. He'd put his parents in such a demanding position, a position requiring immediate acceptance. They weren't allowed to work through their denial because his expertise was their only option一he was the only person who could provide a solution. They could be mad at him, but they couldn't reject his assistance because that would mean leaving all the patients to struggle.

They weren't accepting their son, they were accepting his _help_.

He should've waited for a better moment to tell the truth. Or better yet, he should've told them sooner. Then they would've been able to resolve this situation with ease. (Or maybe they would've rejected you anyway, _freak_).

He felt like he had to justify himself to them because they still didn't understand. Maybe if he explained, they would _actually_ accept him. "I一I never told you because I was scared. I… I was the only one like this and I just thought that you wouldn't see me as _me_. That you'd just see me as a ghost and一and I'm sorry that it's taken me this long to tell you. And that out of all the stupid ghosts I could be that I have to be _Phantom_." He groaned. "I know it seems like I've done crappy things, but all of that was just bad circumstances. I never _wanted_ to hurt you or anyone else!"

His parents' demeanor softened.

"I'm not… _mad_ at you, sweetie," Maddie assured. "I just… I just meant that… okay, maybe I'm a bit frustrated. A lot frustrated. That you've been keeping this entire side of yourself secret! And that you didn't come to _us_! But… you didn't choose this, did you? Please tell me..."

Danny thought he had made that clear earlier, but he nodded anyway. "It was an accident, yeah. And I tried to reverse it. But nothing would work and一and now I'm just like _this_." He gestured to his floating body.

"I'm sorry," Ishiyama interrupted, "I'm still confused how this is possible. Are you and Danny the same person?"

"I mean, we don't understand it either," Jack said. "But from what I understand they're the same person."

"I am." He shifted back into human form. "Same thoughts and memories. One Danny, two different forms. As for how this is possible… that's beyond me. All I know is that I walked into the Fenton Portal, turned it on from the inside, and pretty much died. It shocked the hell out of me, and when I woke up… I was a ghost, a ghost that could turn human again. I didn't admit to myself what happened for a long time, but I was forced to come to terms with it because my powers kept malfunctioning."

"That一that's wild!" the nurse exclaimed.

Ishiyama blanched. "And that's what's happening to me, isn't it? That's what's happening to all the patients here?"

"Yeah." Danny nodded. "Which is why you need my help, since I'm the only person who knows how any of this works."

"How would you help?" Maddie asked. "Besides personal experience, is there anything we can do to permanently remove or lessen people's ghostliness? You said that… you couldn't 'unkill' a person, so I assume not?"

Danny frowned. "We can't get rid of this," he repeated. "But we can help people manage it. There's a lot of things I went through when this happened to me that I wish I knew beforehand."

"Like what?" Jack asked.

Danny thought for a moment. The first few months he had powers… were a mess. Falling through everything, phasing through his clothes, vanishing from sight at the _worst_ moments, running from rooms so no one would see him involuntarily change一those were some of the most distinct mishaps. But there were other trials he had faced after the accident, stranger incidents. Things that initially made him feel foreign inside his own body, but felt normal to him now. If he could recall how he overcame those things, then perhaps the patients would have an easier adjustment period.

"It sounds weird. I mean, a lot of this stuff _is_ weird. I have… all ghosts have a core, right? For me, my core is in the center of my chest, opposite my heart. It feels cold, like liquid glass just… rolling under my skin. It's embedded inside me. It's light yet deep, and it's everything that's _me_. Essentially, it's my ghost half's brain. In my ghost form, it controls all of my powers and regulates my ectoplasm."

Maddie pulled at her suit's sleeve. "That lines up with our research about cores. But you said that it only acts as your brain in your ghost form? Does your mind switch between both organs?"

"I guess? That's how it was explained to me," he shrugged. "As Phantom, my core becomes my primary brain and my human brain is like a secondary brain. And vice versa. Anyway," he continued. "I can control my core now. But I couldn't at first. When it first developed, it was _beyond_ my control."

"W一what do you mean?" Ishiyama asked.

He could tell she was scared, and that scared Danny. She was one of his authority figures, a strong woman with an iron composure. Seeing her like this was unnerving.

He couldn't blame her for being afraid. Being a halfa is constantly terrifying. It meant relearning how to operate your body, relearning what it means to exist. Maybe it wasn't the best to go over this in front of her right now. Not until they figured everything out. But then again, she'd find out sooner or later. It was inevitable.

He back leaned against her nightstand. "Well, I had a lot of power glitches. Those were irritating, but they were mainly minor slip-ups that people wouldn't notice. Phasing my hand through tables, popping my knee through my jeans, making my torso go invisible, and glowing eyes. People usually didn't notice those things, or they would dismiss them for one reason or another, but initially after my accident, I had a really difficult time controlling my transformations. Like, _really_ difficult.

"My core would _spasm_ or something until I transformed. I could fight it off, but it was really hard to do. I remember one time where I just sat on my bed for about half an hour, my body trying to change… and I just _resisted_ it. Doing that basically cut circulation off to my core, it wasn't healthy. Resisting the change is like trying to hold your breath forever, eventually you give in or pass out.

"No matter how hard I tried to fight it off… my ghost side always won. Hell, it made me feel so nauseous that I had to keep a trash can beside me. I'd transform and sulk about how awful my body is. But after a while, I stopped fighting it. Because what's the point? If you just rip the Band-Aid off and let yourself transform, your core will develop a lot more stable. I even started _trying_ to transform, and after that things were so much easier."

"So, what does that mean for the patients here?" Maddie asked. "Should we encourage them to just let it happen?"

"I'd say, yeah."

"That's sort of a problem, though. We're supposed to be making people _less_ ghost, not more ghost," Jack pointed out. "How do we explain that to them? Hell, how do we explain that to the doctors?"

Danny considered it. This wasn't an easy topic to broach, but there weren't many options. "I guess we'll just have to explain everything. Not everyone's going to be happy—I definitely wasn't. But… this is what's best."

"It scares me." Ishiyama eyed her legs. They were still struggling to remain two separate limbs. "But if you're okay… if you can live with this, Mr. Fenton, I suppose I can too. And I have to say, this explains a lot about you and your poor attendance." She looked up from her legs and smiled ruefully.

"Well, fighting ghosts _is_ a demanding job."

Jack ran his hand over the back of his neck. "Fighting ghosts… oh, Danno. I hadn't even considered that. Phantom一"

"一was just a ghost to you. I get it, and I'm not offended about anything you've said to or about me, to be honest. Because you didn't know about all this."

That was a lie. A lot of it bothered him, but they didn't need to know that, ever.

"Still…" Maddie placated. "I'm sorry you've gone through all this, Danny. And that you felt like you couldn't tell us."

For a moment, he couldn't believe his ears. His parents sounded genuine. Even though there was a lot of unknown territory between them at the moment, it didn't feel like they'd rejected him. Like he'd anticipated. And really, that open-mindedness was enough for now.

If they cared this much, maybe they would… accept him?

"I'm fine, really. It was only really bad at first. I'm used to it now," he assured her. "Sure, I have some issues with my self-image or whatever, but I'm content with my ghost side. It's a _part _of me."

"We一we just want you to be safe. And happy," Jack said.

Maddie grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Agreed. Let's talk about this more later. For now, we need to develop a strategy."

It took him a moment to register that their hands were intertwined. His mom was touching him. Willingly. And _she_ was the one initiating contact. It wasn't exactly the verbal acceptance he was looking for, but it was an action that spoke far more than words could have in this moment.

He grinned and locked eyes with Maddie. "Alright. Where should we start?"


	4. Trying to Recognize Myself

Their first course of action was to decide which doctors they could trust in their discussion. Maddie managed to track down one of the hospital administrators—a poised Guatemalan woman named Ms. Pérez—who provided them with an empty conference room and invited two of the hospital's lead doctors.

They arrived at the conference room before the doctors, so while they waited Danny called Jazz and filled her in on everything that she'd missed.

"When you didn't come back from the bathroom, I assumed you found trouble," she admitted. "You do that a lot."

He leaned back in his chair and pouted. "You don't trust me?"

"Would you trust yourself in a situation like this?"

"No."

"And there's your answer," she remarked.

"Hey!"

Maddie shot Danny an impatient glance. She probably didn't want him mouthing off to Jazz when the doctors arrived but he wasn't stupid. He had this under control. Danny waved her off, assuring her that he acknowledged her presence.

"You should come up here, Mom's looking at me like I need to get off the phone."

"Do you need me there? I figured I wouldn't be much help."

He did need Jazz. He couldn't have this discussion with his parents and three doctors alone. He'd _just_ come clean about his secret, there were only so many things he could face alone in a day. Jazz was his support system, and she could take over if anything went sideways.

Jazz could save him.

"I mean," he thought of an excuse, something he could say in front of his parents, "you're the psychology expert. You can provide some insight about how we should confront the patients and general ghost psychology stuff. It's not like you're a walking textbook or anything."

"That makes sense, I guess. What room is it?"

"It's on the sixth floor, conference room C. You can't miss it."

"I'll be there soon."

Jazz hung up and Danny was left in the conference room. With his parents.

_Well, this is awkward_.

"So," he rocked back in his chair, "when are they going to get here?"

"Ms. Pérez said that they would come as soon as they were available, but she wasn't very clear," Maddie said.

"Oh."

"It won't be too long," Jack assured. "The doctors don't know what they're doing, but they know we're the only ones with enough information to actually _do_ something. They won't blow us off."

"That's good."

"Yeah," Maddie said.

No one spoke for a few moments. Danny surveyed the conference room, but there wasn't anything that particularly stood out to him. It was boring, with a long table in the center of the room and tall windows. The walls were gray—a mind-numbing gray. They made Danny want to take a nap, but he forced himself to keep his head up. No matter how tempting sleep was, now was _not_ the time.

Danny turned toward his mom, who was on her phone, scrolling through some article. He picked out a few words such as 'ghost' and 'fatal injuries' but that was about it.

She grumbled to herself as she skimmed the article. "...all uninformed… stupid press."

After a moment, she noticed him looking over her shoulder and scowled. "Look at this rubbish." She handed him her phone.

_ '__一__to conclude this. There has not been an official report from Amity General Hospital nor the Police department, but we have confirmed several deaths and nearly a hundred sustaining injuries. Family members of the injured have been notified, but at this time no one has been cleared to visit their loved ones._

_Sources tell us that many of the injured patients have been showing ghost-like abilities and have been placed under quarantine. Speculation indicates that they have been collectively possessed by the ghost that hit the shield, the Viking. Sources also tell us that ghost experts Maddie and Jack Fenton have been called in to the hospital, a move that has stirred controversy among the community. Many citizens have expressed their opinions about this on Twitter:_

_'__Those f***ing ghost hunters are the ones that made that stupid ghost shield in the first place and then it shocked everyone! Why should they be trusted with medical care for the people THEY electrocuted?!''_

Danny groaned. He couldn't blame the public for holding opinions against his family, but that accusation was just uncalled for. It's not like they designed the shield to malfunction一it wouldn't have hurt anyone if Danny had stopped the Viking fast enough! His parents didn't deserve the blame. They were doing as much to help the community as they could. That, and surely people recognized that ghost experts were just as essential as medical professionals in this situation?

Of course, Danny knew more than the general public did. He couldn't shame them because they were uninformed. This entire cycle of ambiguous media and public bias was just frustrating. He'd seen it again and again as Phantom. Yeah, his reputation had improved lately, but that didn't mean he still didn't get bad press.

"Don't let their ignorance get under your skin," he told Maddie. "They don't understand the full picture."

"It's just… difficult. Everyone online一they just never _stop_. And before you know it, everyone is parroting each other! I can face criticism, but this is too much."

"I know, but you can't expect everyone to support you when there's so many misconceptions and fake news. Media is an endless feed of negativity, but it doesn't define the world. At least, it _shouldn't_. You just have to do your best and wait for people to realize that you're on their side."

It felt weird telling her this now that she knew his secret. He doubted that she'd made the connection between his advice and his experience as Phantom, but he couldn't ignore that tight feeling in his gut.

"Wise words," Jack said.

Danny felt his face heat up. "I guess."

The door opened. Danny looked up to see a tall Hispanic woman and two older, white men enter the conference room. The woman walked with her shoulders raised and a poised demeanor. It was clear that she was a natural leader.

Exactly what Danny needed.

She stopped across from his parents.

"I apologize for the delay. The elevators were slammed. In hindsight, taking the stairs might have been faster," she said. "Enough of that. We're here to get down to business, I suppose?"

"Yes. Under… certain circumstances we've determined that the patients' conditions are permanent but can be managed."

"And you've determined this… how? I don't mean to discredit you, Maddie, but we can't afford to jump to conclusions in a dire situation like this."

"She was getting to that," Jack said.

Maddie nodded. "This is our son, Danny." She patted Danny on the shoulder. "Danny, this is Ms. Pérez and her colleagues, Dr. Morrison and Dr. Ambrian."

The doctors stared at him unimpressed.

"Hi?" he attempted.

"Danno's got all our answers! Well, maybe not all, but he's got a lot of them!"

Danny almost groaned. _Dad_. This was getting more awkward by the second.

"_And_ how does he fit into all this?" Dr. Morrison crossed his arms. "He's just some teenager."

"A teenager that's had the same condition as your patients for two years," Maddie said. "He understands what the patients need because he's had to live through it himself."

Ms. Pérez gawked. "What?"

The door opened before anyone else could elaborate. Jazz slipped into the room, attempting to conceal her labored breaths. She allowed the door to shut behind her and sat beside Jack with a rigid posture.

"Sorry I interrupted," she apologized.

"You're fine, sweetie," Maddie said.

"I'm not sure I understand," Dr. Ambrian stated.

"Oh, sorry! I'm Jazz." Jazz leaned across the table and offered her hand for him to shake. "I came to help with psychology一"

"No," Ms. Pérez shook her head. "How do you have the same condition as the patients?"

"Oh. So you guys are at _that _part."

Why did Jazz have to make this sound so melodramatic and formidable?

"I'm uh一well, it's kind of a long story. Not that long, I guess. But to sum it up, it happened two years ago when I went into one of my parents' machines, turned it on, and got a pretty big shock. The ectoplasm and electricity _changed_ me. It felt like I was dying. You could call half-death if you want to. I'm comfortable enough with it that I don't really care what you call it. I woke up and I had powers and a different form一my ghost form一and I freaked out. My two best friends, were there, and we tried to hide it. I didn't tell anyone, not even my parents."

Jazz coughed.

"I didn't tell you, you're just nosy. Anyway, yeah. All those patients are like me, with ghost powers and a ghost form. They're not wholly human anymore, but they're still alive. They're living ghosts, organic and ectoplasmic hybrids一the best features of both species. Well, I may be biased when I say 'the best'. But you get it." He followed their baffled expressions. "Or maybe not."

Ancients, he hoped they weren't following this. This was already mortifying enough.

"I think I get it?" Dr. Morrison said. "They're basically like those comic book mutants or something. They're still alive, but they have ghost powers."

"Which means they have ghost biology. _Ectology_." Ms. Pérez paled. "Now I see why this is so complicated."

"It's going to be difficult, but don't forget we have Danny to guide us!" Jack said.

Danny nodded. "I get that I'm probably young for you guys and stuff, but I'm pretty sure that I'm the best person to help you. Well, there _is_ someone who knows more about this stuff, but he's self-centered and hates people, so he doesn't matter."

"Wait, who else knows about this?" Maddie asked.

Danny hesitated. _Shit_. That was probably one of the worst things he could've said just then. Vlad would kill him if he revealed his secret too.

"Just someone一they're not important!"

Yeah, like _that _wouldn't pique Maddie's curiosity. Hopefully she wouldn't dwell on it for long.

"_Smooth_," Jazz whispered.

Danny shot her critical look.

He intended it to be subtle but he put a little too much emotion into his stare and felt his eyes chill, pulsing with ectoplasm. He could tell that everyone in the room picked up on it. Once he realized his mistake Danny forced his eyes to wane back to blue.

He knew Mom and Dad were trying their best not to acknowledge it, to ignore his ghostly exhibition. The doctors seemed too stunned to speak.

Finally, Jazz spoke up."Told you those eyes make you dramatic."

He blushed. "Shut-up."

Jack frowned. "Danno, I thought you said you had control over your powers now. You didn't _mean_ to do that, did you?"

"I mean, my core is stable now, but I still have mishaps when I get emotional. Besides familiarity and control, emotions are another reason I found it hard to grasp my powers at first. After the accident, I was an emotional disaster who didn't know how to process _anything_."

"So, one's powers reflects their mental state?" Ms. Pérez put together.

"Well, that _is_ why so many malevolent ghosts are so powerful," Jack pointed out. "They're rooted in negative emotions, therefore they exert a lot of energy. So… if a half-ghost feels angry..."

"They'd lose control of their powers, even if they're able to control them normally," Danny summed up. "This is why we're going to have to be very careful when announce what happened to them. Learning that you're not human anymore is like an emotional bomb."

"Do we have any idea how we're going to tell them?" Dr. Ambrian said.

"No." Maddie shook her head. "That's why we elected to meet with you three. So we could get your input and conceive a thorough plan. Personally, I think we should tell everyone together. That way, rumors don't spread before we break the news to each individual. I don't know how we'd accomplish getting everyone together for a group diagnosis, though. It sounds pretty ridiculous."

"It can't be more ridiculous than what's already happening," Ms. Pérez countered.

"That's fair."

"But where would we hold this announcement? Who would lead it? What would we say?" Dr. Morrison asked.

"I can lead the announcement," Danny said. "Well, kinda me. I think Phantom would be better suited with credibility than I would. I'll try to explain the best I can without making it seem really scary."

"Hold up," Ms. Pérez cut in. "What's this about Phantom?"

"Oh, right. I forgot to mention that part." He touched the back of his neck and said with a flustered smile, "I'm Phantom."

"Pardon?"

"Look, some of the patients have ghost forms, right? Where they've turned into ghost versions of themselves? My ghost form is Phantom一_I_ am Phantom."

They looked unimpressed.

"You're pulling my leg," Dr. Morrison said.

"I'm afraid he's not," Maddie said. "He only told us today, but it's true."

"Danny Phantom, Danny Fenton… it's supposed to be a pun."

At this point, the easiest thing he could do was just _show_ them he was Phantom. Though, that was his last resort.

Transforming in front of other people wasn't pleasant. He felt naked when he transformed. _Exposed_. He was already at his limit from transforming in front of his parents and principal earlier. Their response to his transformation was harrowing, and Danny did _not_ want to relive that. Not in such a brief time frame, at least.

"I have to say, that does make some sense," Dr. Ambrian said. "Though, I don't think I can believe that Amity's hero is really, uh, you. No offense."

Danny didn't take any. His unheroic guise was deliberate, after all. Phantom was suave, charming, brave, while Fenton was a loser, a wimpy kid, the Fentons' son.

"Danny's careful with his alter ego," Jazz explained. "He's learned how to appear unassuming because he's had to. He may not seem like Phantom, but that's because he's trained himself to act certain ways to separate his human and ghost personas."

"Well, when you put it like that, I sound like some kind of sociopath."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not a sociopath; you've taken safe measures to protect your identity."

"I'm still not buying it," Ms. Pérez said. "If you're Phantom, surely I'd recognize you. I see him fly patients into the ER multiple times a month."

He didn't want to do it, but they were leaving him little choice.

He'd show them. Even though he hated it.

Danny met Maddie's eyes. He didn't have to say anything, yet she understood. She gave him an encouraging nod, and he retreated into himself, probing for that feeling in his core. He tugged on it—that cold _chill_—and let it imbue him. The doctors gasped, and he let the change run through him, transforming him from Fenton to Phantom.

"You're sure you'd recognize me?"

Ms. Pérez's jaw dropped. "Oh my God, he _is_ Phantom."

"Well, yeah." _This was so awkward. _"I guess I'll be doing that announcement, then? With all the patients?"

Ms. Pérez took a moment to collect herself. "I, um, yeah? That sounds like it'll work. You'll break it to them softly that they're… like you, right? Half-ghost? And then what's your plan?"

He shrugged. "I guess I'll just do my best to explain. There's not much else I can do besides give advice and answer questions."

"Speaking of questions, we still haven't talked about their treatment plan," Dr. Morrison interjected. "We've established that this is a permanent condition and that they need to be informed, but how are we going to go about helping them? What else can the hospital provide for them? Is there anything we can do besides discharge them now?"

"That was our second inquiry," Maddie said. "Danny informed us that the patients are going to have problems controlling their powers and that they needn't resist their ghost-halves."

Dr. Ambrian frowned. "What does that mean, exactly?"

Danny repeated the explanation he had given his parents about transforming. He thought for a moment, and then added, "Well, and there might be something else we need to worry about, too."

"What is it, Danno?"

"The first two weeks after my accident, I was really malnourished. I couldn't figure out why because I was eating a lot of food, but none of it seemed to help me at all. For some reason I was just starving."

"That lines up with what some patients have reported," Ms. Pérez said. "They've said that our food hasn't been filling them up."

"Ghost cores run on a lot of energy, like _a lot_. Regular food isn't enough to keep it going… calories are insufficient. So, since I wasn't getting enough energy I became super weak. And I uh..." He blushed. "I-had-t_o-drink-ectoplasm_."

"What was that?"

He sighed. "I… had to drink ectoplasm." He tried his best not to linger on his parents' appalled faces and continued. "I found some samples in the fridge and my instincts took over. Once I realized what I'd done, I freaked out for a while until I figured out it'd helped me. I still drink some from time to time, usually after battles and stuff. Though, sometimes I just drink it to stay healthy."

"Ectoplasm is what ghosts are made of, right?" Ms. Pérez asked.

Her eyes hung on him strangely, evaluating him. It took a moment, but it occurred to Danny that he was still in ghost form. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, he reverted back into human form. Everyone tried their best not to react, but he could feel the tension swing across the room like a pendulum.

Maddie's voice was tight. She sounded as though she was trying to swallow a pill dry. "Right."

"That makes sense, then. I imagine that you have some supply of ectoplasm that we could provide the patients with?"

"We're a little short at the moment, but I'm sure we could filter some through the purifier in the lab," Jack said.

"I have a stash too," Danny added. His parents gave him another one of those weird looks and he sporadically shoved his hands under the table, focusing on his hands rather than keeping eye contact. "What? I need it sometimes. Obviously."

"We'd need to go back home to get that together, but we'll aim to arrange that by the end of the day."

"Wait, so when are we doing this announcement? And where? How are we going to get everyone in one place, anyway?" Jazz brought up.

"I'll take care of that," Ms. Pérez said decisively. She checked her phone. "It's two now… so I'll aim to assemble everyone by five o'clock. You have my number, so if anything needs adjusting just give me a ring. I probably won't check my texts."

She stood from the table. Dr. Morrison and Dr. Ambrian followed her lead.

"This was certainly a… an illuminating discussion. Even if this _can't_ be cured, at least now we have an objective to work toward. We're not just aimlessly trying to solve something we don't understand. Thank you, Danny." Ms. Pérez offered her hand to him.

He hesitated, fearing that she would react to his skin's dead chill, but accepted her grip.

"Your input really saved the day," Dr. Ambrian added.

"Well, I guess I do that a lot."

Jazz elbowed him.

"Come on! That was actually funny and _not_ self-deprecating. She doesn't like it when I'm clever一she thinks I'm undermining her genius," Danny deadpanned.

She blushed. "I do not!"

"Do, too!"

Jack chuckled. "Alright kids, lay off on the bickering. I think you're giving the doctors gray hairs. We've all got work to do."

Danny sobered. "Right." He turned to the doctors. "Thanks for not completely freaking out. It was cool talking with you."

"To you, the same." Dr. Morrison said.

The three doctors exited the conference room, leaving the Fentons alone.

"Now what?"

Maddie slid her purse over her shoulder. "I'm going to visit more patients, get a general consensus and try to calm them down. Jazz, would you go home with your father and help purify ectoplasm?"

"Sure," she chirped. "I also know where Danny keeps his samples, so if it's okay with him…?"

"Yeah, you can take some一they need it more than I do."

"You're probably gonna have to drive too, Jazzy." He gestured to his sling. "I don't think they want me on the roads one-armed."

"I don't think they want you on the roads ever," she mumbled.

"So what are you gonna do, Danny?" Maddie changed the topic.

Danny blinked. Initially, he figured he'd just get ready to deliver the announcement. He hadn't thought about what he'd do in the meantime. But then… _oh_. He did have something he needed to do, something that he'd neglected in the whirlwind of events.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I think I have something in mind."

Sam and Tucker were going to kill him for not texting them back.


	5. I Feel I've Been Replaced

Usually when over a hundred people got electrocuted, it was a horrible thing. And yeah, this was pretty awful. But there were some benefits, such as getting out of school. They couldn't really complain about that. Especially with Lancer's rigorous American Dream essay looming over them. So, even though today was the epitome of tragedy, Sam and Tucker were trying to make the most of it.

The Mansons still had to work today so the duo had taken advantage of the living room. Sure, the basement theater was nice, but the designer sofa and massage chairs in the living room were to _die_ for. Sam usually avoided this room at all costs because it's where her parents lounged after work. Let's just say her mom had an affinity for fashion magazines and martinis, and she was _not_ exposing Danny and Tucker to that beast.

At least today the living room was theirs.

"Daniel… Fent-antom… is a slow son… of a bitch." Sam leaned back into the massage chair.

Tucker snorted. "He ghosted us."

"Oh my God. You're right."

"As always."

Sam turned her massage chair off and crashed into the sofa beside Tucker. She grabbed the TV remote and selected a different music station一techno metal.

"I know that he's probably busy and stuff, but even when he's fighting ghosts in another dimension he texts us back! I'm…" She struggled for the right word. "...irritated."

"Amen to that. This entire situation is just so bizarre. I'm starving for information and the internet is _not_ my friend today. Everyone on Twitter is raging about the Fentons and I actually want a real update, y'know?" He scrolled through his phone, idly scanning its contents. "Just a bunch of angry bullshit, but what else is new?"

"I'm surprised that the hospital hasn't said anything," Sam commented. "It's been, what? Twenty hours since the dome collapsed? This morning Dad said that they usually release information after a few hours, but they've been all hush-hush."

"That's because all the injured people are halfas. Or, at least that's Danny's theory. I feel it in my gut, though. After the battle… I went back and saw them loading people onto stretchers. And it sent me back to the accident. It felt like I was watching Danny all over again. _Surreal_."

She raised a brow. "Why'd you go back, then?"

"I didn't _know_ it would be like that."

"Right."

Tucker returned to his phone. He scrolled a bit more before stopping abruptly. Seconds later, his lip curled upwards."Oh my God."

"What is it?"

He laughed. "Just… just look at this."

He handed her his phone and turned the volume up.

It was a video of a red-headed boy一Wes Weston一standing in the hospital parking lot. He was pacing in front of the hospital entrance, ranting into his phone.

"一just makes me so mad! I've been out here for hours and I've seen them do it all day! This entire establishment… so fucking rude! Yeah whatever, I probably sound like a Goddamn Boomer but _fuck you._ I'm pissed and I'm allowed to say what I want."

The camera shook. Wes looked over his phone and scowled. "They just did it again. Motherfuckers. They keep kicking everyone out who wants to know about their family. I haven't seen my dad since yesterday morning一he could be dead for all I know! He could be a fucking vegetable! Since I'm a minor they won't even tell me if he's okay, which is double bullshit!"

Wes ran his hand over his face and screamed. "All they'll tell anyone is that all everyone affected by the shield yesterday has some kind of 'ecto-contamination.' I swear to God, I'm _not_ making this up. You heard me. 'Ecto-contamination.' What the hell does that even mean? Can someone explain? Are they poisoned? Do they have ghost powers? Are they half-ghost like Danny fucking Fenton? Yeah, I said he's half-ghost. Roast me in the comments, fuckers, I'm used to it."

The video cut off.

Tucker shut off his phone. "Well, that was…"

"一probably the most informative thing we've seen all day," Sam finished.

"I was going to say pitiful, but true."

Before she could respond, Tucker's phone rang. Danny's picture一a crude close-up of his face一occupied the screen. Tucker fumbled with his phone. He swiped the answer button and set it on speakerphone.

"Dude!"

"Danny!"

"Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been on my phone一"

"Don't worry about it," Sam cut him off. "What's up?"

He chuckled. "A lot. A-_fucking_-lot. My parents know my secret and I'm going to tell a bunch of people in a few hours, so I'm kinda a mess right now but I'm repressing stuff so I'm also fine."

"_What_."

Sam and Tucker exchanged a look. Danny's secret wasn't a light matter. For the past two years, they've struggled to keep it between the three of them. They knew what his secret entailed. They knew how it weighed on him every day, buckled to him like a handicap. If it got out, his secret could shatter every aspect of his life.

His secret was a bomb.

Danny held it close to himself, taking extraneous measures to ensure that it remained a secret. Because he was afraid of how people would react if they knew, and he was scared of the repercussions. _judgment, social exclusion, capture. _He could lose his family. They could _hurt_ him, or worse一try to fix him.

These were things that Sam and Tucker knew. They never pried, never delved into those grim possibilities. He was their friend, it wasn't their job to scrutinize his anxieties. So, they left it alone.

Besides, Danny had it under control! If he ever had second thoughts about his secret, he'd confront them, right? Surely he'd go to them before he did anything irrational!

Or so she thought.

"It's a long story. I wasn't planning on fessing up right then, it just sort of happened. They don't want to kill me, though. So I think I'm in the clear."

Sam pinched her nose. "Danny, I'm sorry but you're gonna have to give us more details than that."

"Yeah, man. This is big. What the _fuck_?"

Danny sighed. "I guess I'll start from the beginning. Just… just stay with me, okay?"

"Of course."

Danny summarized everything that had happened in the hospital. Sam was worried for a moment when he mentioned blood blossoms, but he assured her that no one was hurt. Afterward, he had to reveal himself to his parents and Ishiyama (and _holy shit_一Ishiyama's a _halfa _now!).

"That's great! They didn't reject you!" Tucker said.

"I guess. It's only the beginning. I'm gonna talk with all the patients tonight and help them understand what they are. I'm… probably going to tell them the truth about me. It's the only way I can see it going down. And once the patients know, everyone will know. Word spreads一it's inevitable."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Not really. But I _have_ to do it. I'm the only person who can truly explain what being a half-ghost means. So if that means I have to face the public, then I'll do it. No one deserves to go through this alone."

Like he did.

After the accident, Sam and Tucker had _tried_ to be there for him. They had given him moral support and pulled him out of floors… but they weren't _him_. There were so many things that they couldn't know about Danny一so many innate things that he had to learn by himself. Even with their backing, Danny essentially went through his change alone.

Sam kept her tone steady. "If that's your choice, I support you."

"Yeah. That's very noble of you. I know I wouldn't have the guts."

"I'm not sure if I do either."

She could feel that he didn't want to elaborate, so Sam steered the conversation in a different direction. "So what's going to happen once everyone knows that they're a ghost? I mean, you can't just keep them in the hospital forever. They have to go home eventually."

"We haven't really gotten that far yet. We're going to give them ectoplasm so they can stabilize, but we haven't discussed any details about release."

"Okay, but I mean… once you _do_ release them, what's going to happen? Is everyone just going to act like everything's normal, like you did? Is everyone going to return to their jobs and keep their powers on the down-low? I don't feel like the town is going to support people with unstable一_dangerous_一ghostly abilities."

"She's got a point," Tucker said. "What if the government gets involved and tries to detain everyone? I mean, where are the Guys in White? _Surely _they must be on top of this by now. I doubt they'll just let everyone return to their lives, especially you."

"I don't think they'll be a problem."

"_Really?_"

Sam found that hard to believe. The GIW were ruthless when it came to Phantom. They weren't absolutely competent, but they were dedicated to ecto-erasure. She figured they'd be the first to wriggle their nasty, white gloves into this situation.

"Okay, they may still try to detain _me_ because I'm a 'criminal' or whatever, but they don't have the resources to go after that many people. Hell, they operate out of a shoebox most of the time. Yeah, they have advanced weapons, but they only have about twenty full-time employees. Their field agents suck ass, too. They can't even capture _Skulker_. Do you really think they have what it takes to capture ninety unstable half-ghosts and get _away _with it?"

Sam had never considered that. Danny always made the GIW sound formidable, but that was because they had singled him out. They lacked flexibility and coordination. They were only dangerous when they honed all their facilities on one target. Capturing these new halfas _was_ impossible.

"I bet if anything," he resumed, "they'll try to recreate what happened with the ghost-shield and create their own batch of halfas. After all, their science department is stronger than their field agents. That, and they don't have to deal with public-relations. It's definitely not ideal, but it's better than the alternative."

Tucker whistled. "Damn, I thought you said you hadn't thought about this."

"Yeah," she agreed. "But I'm also worried about their plans to make more halfas. How are you gonna deal with that?"

"I don't know. It's definitely a problem for later, so I'll probably get Mom and Dad on board. They might not be into politics, but they have enough influence to stir the public when it matters, despite all the bullshit about them online right now."

"That's true. I'm glad that they're taking your secret well. I know how much that means to you."

Tucker nodded next to her. "Yeah! It's cool that everything went down okay. If you ever need to talk about them, though, we're here. Change is hard. Sometimes you just need someone to talk you through it."

"I appreciate it, guys." Danny paused. Sam could hear someone in the background, but their voice was faint. "_Shit_."

That didn't sound good. "What is it?" she asked.

Danny groaned. "I flew up to the roof to talk to you guys and Wes just spotted me. He's down in the parking lot for some reason and now he's screaming at me. I should go."

Tucker snorted. "Figures."

"I'll try to call you guys later and fill you in how the announcement went, alright?"

"Yeah! That's cool," Sam said.

"Okay. See ya guys."

The phone went silent.

They didn't speak for well over a minute. Danny… well, Danny was going through a lot. Sam understood that. She knew that this situation didn't need her opinion. Because there was nothing that she could do. Sure, she could offer general feedback and hope to God that he'd feel better一but making someone feel better didn't resolve things. He was destined to struggle, to _suffer_ and all she could do was watch!

_You're pathetic. You're not even a good friend. Who _really_needs Sam Manson?_

All she wanted was to support Danny, but what more could she do besides offering conversation? Was that her only purpose? Could she do more?

Who knew?

_You're absolutely… useless._

Sam stared at a spot on the ceiling. She wished she could dissolve her thoughts in the barrenness of lackluster paint. "Do you wanna get something to eat or something?" she asked absently.

It was better not to talk about it. Because there was nothing that they could say.


	6. A Kick Down in My Soul

Waiting for two hours did nothing but get on Danny's nerves. His dad and Jazz were still at FentonWorks and Maddie was still assessing the patients. He was tempted to join her, to observe the state of their development but decided against it. He wasn't stupid—he knew that he would meddle and skew Maddie's observations. It was better for everyone if he just minded his own business. He'd have plenty of time to assist the patients later. He just had to be patient.

He found a bench somewhere on one of the lower floors and occupied himself on his phone. He tried to avoid the negative whirlwind of press, by playing a mindless game. If he could just _not_ think about what he was waiting for, then he'd be fine. This wasn't the eve of his reveal. No, not at all. He was just in a hospital playing Candy Crush for no good reason.

His phone died after an hour. He considered finding Jazz so he could bum her charger, but she wasn't here anymore.

_Shit_. He had nothing to do. Nothing to distract him from his thoughts. Nothing to bite back his anticipation.

And it occurred to him, for the first time, that this was it.

His life was never going to be the same again.

Why was he okay with this? He could never be Danny Fenton again. After today, he'd always be that Phantom kid. Fenton would always be tagged by Phantom, Danny Fenton-Phantom.

The ghost boy. The half-dead hero. The _freak_.

Why was he doing this to himself? Why was he so content?

_Because I'm not doing this for myself, I'm doing this for them. All of it's for them._

Right. For _them_. That's what he told himself.

Wasn't there a way he could help the patients without exposing himself, though? Surely, that was a pipedream.

He clenched the bottom of the bench. It had to be this way. He was the hero, and the hero does whatever it takes to help people. After all, morality is one's self-sacrifices to benefit others' common interests. Ancients forbid he ever got what he wanted.

How long had he been sitting here contemplating, anyway? Wasn't it almost time? Instinctively, he reached for his phone until he realized the problem. _Of course_. His fucking luck. Now he had to go search for his Mom or Ms. Pérez. They hadn't confirmed where they'd be meeting, so Danny was at a loss.

He pulled himself off the bench and started wandering around the hospital. First, he checked the conference room from earlier, then the lobby. He wracked his brain for any open spaces that could hold over a hundred people. Then it hit him; it was _so_ obvious. Why hadn't he thought of it before?

Every hospital had to have a cafeteria. That was the rule, wasn't it?

When he arrived, there was a group of medical staff escorting patients into the cafeteria. Some of them were on stretchers, others were struggling (but managing) to walk. A few didn't even seem fazed, just irritated.

What really unsettled Danny was that many of these people were people he _recognized_. Amity Park wasn't a small town, but it wasn't exactly a big city either. If he had to guess, there were probably five or six thousand residents in the city proper. So in any group of a hundred people, one was bound to know a few people.

Of course, there was Principal Ishiyama. She was one of the patients on the stretchers. Her legs were covered by a blanket, and Danny assumed that she was still having trouble keeping them solid.

Two nurses escorted a small boy no older than seven. He was in his ghost form, levitating a few feet above the floor. His dark skin glowed, his hair was fiery and white, and his eyes blazed red. The nurses holding his arms appeared perturbed, but the kid himself was beaming up and down, waving his arms like he was an airplane. Danny almost envied his naivety一superpowers were any kid's dream.

"Hey, Danny! I'm flying!" he grinned.

_Wait._

He knew this kid? How did he know him?

Danny's stomach sank. He didn't know that many children, especially kids _that_ young. But now that he thought about it and if substituted white hair for black...

This was Tucker's cousin, Zahair. They'd met at the Foley annual picnic last summer and Danny had impressed him with some space fun facts. Tucker also babysat him from time to time, so no wonder he recognized Danny.

_Ancients, Tucker is going to _freak out.

Danny panicked and stepped behind another lady on a stretcher so that he wouldn't notice him. The idea of new halfas was already a difficult pill to swallow. Danny hadn't even considered that he _knew_ these people personally. Zahair was just a seven-year-old kid! Now he was going to live with these powers for the rest of his life—he was going to be half-dead for the rest of his life.

He was only in first grade. He couldn't even read books without pictures yet.

As he tried to push his way through the crowd, he saw even more people he recognized. There was Star Evans一Paulina's right-hand man, stunning cheerleader, and yearbook editor. Her eyes were puffy and she struggled against the nurse escorting her. She didn't seem hurt, but _afraid_. She pulled against the nurse's firm grip, crying that she didn't want to go where they were taking her… that she didn't want them to run experiments on her. Once the nurses pulled her away (numbly assuring her that she was _safe_), Danny's core thrummed in sympathy.

Next was Walter Weston. As Wes's father and Vlad's assistant, Danny tried to limit their encounters. Opposed to the rest of the patients, he seemed at ease, if not a little wary. Probably because he already knew Vlad and Danny's secrets. Considering his employer, he was definitely someone Danny had to watch out for in the future.

Lastly, Danny spotted fellow loser and certified band geek, Lester Lovelace. He was on a stretcher and seemed worse for wear. His face was pallid and etched with bruises. His eyes were a nasty green, swirling with unfiltered agony. Lester moaned and his entire frame rattled. The man pushing his stretcher tried holding Lester's hand but his fingers fell through it.

Danny wanted to assure Lester that everything would be alright, but now wasn't the time. Lester seemed too out of it. Anything Danny said would just fall on empty ears. He'd get to it later.

Seeing them like this reminded Danny what he was standing up for. He'd decided that after the announcement he _would_ take the time to check on each of the patients. It was his duty. Just like it was his duty to tell the truth for them.

Danny stepped out of the stream of people and found Maddie and Ms. Pérez standing near the kitchen door. When Maddie saw him, her expression slid from frustrated to relieved in a matter of seconds.

"You didn't answer your phone."

"Oh, uh," he laughed nervously. "It's dead. Sorry. But I still figured out where to go?"

Maddie rubbed her forehead. "I should've known. I haven't heard back from your sister either, but we need to work fast. Almost everyone is here now and the longer we wait the testier they get一we can't risk any power fluctuations, right? You said that _is_ how it works. Emotions make your core go一"

"Mom. Take a breath. I get that you're super stressed, but worrying this much isn't going to help."

She sighed. "You're right. I just… I want to get this fixed before everything gets worse."

"I understand."

He surveyed the cafeteria and realized that she was right. Almost everyone was seated now, even the patients who had been in stretchers. Staff members were propping them up so that everyone could see the back wall of the cafeteria.

"Is that where I need to come in?" he asked, gesturing toward that area.

Ms. Pérez nodded. "I'll introduce you, but then you'll need to fly in or something. Phase in? Whatever you call it. I don't know how they'll react but expect something. Phantom's definitely well-known…"

"Trust me, I'm aware. Love me or hate me, _everyone_ has an opinion."

Neither woman commented. He didn't blame them. They were probably thinking about their previous assessments of Phantom. He couldn't speak for Ms. Pérez, but Maddie clearly shouldered some guilt. Hell, the revelation had only been about four hours ago. They still had a _lot _they needed to address after they got this situation figured out.

"Should I go now?" he asked. "Go and uh, get ready?"

"Sounds like a plan," Ms. Pérez said.

"Wait," Maddie interrupted. "Give me your phone. I'll charge it for you in case we need it later."

"Oh, thanks! You're the best, Mom."

"I try," she said ruefully. "Good luck with tonight. I know that you're under a lot of pressure."

A lot of pressure was an understatement, but he wasn't naive. He wasn't selfish enough to claim everyone's burdens.

"We all are," he countered.

"Stop that. This morning was big for you, now you have to face over a hundred people. I love you. I think I still need time, but I _do_ love you for who you are. Those people out there… not all of them are going to have that after tonight, after they learn what they are. I just want you to know that I have your back, even if you're a ghost. Even if you're _Phantom_," she said distastefully. "And I want you to share that love with those people because not everyone's family is going to understand."

He didn't know how to respond. So she was saying she loved him… but she still didn't care for Phantom? Even though he was the same person? That didn't make any sense. Maybe she meant it differently than she said it, but it still grated on him. That she _still _doesn't approve of Phantom.

Yeah, she wanted him to support the other halfas, to give them the same love that she gave him. But what was that love? She was struggling and it _showed_. And it made him feel like shit. All he wanted was his mother's full support, _genuine_ love. She was trying but it wasn't enough. At least right now.

(Would it ever be enough?)

He needed more, a lot more. He needed his mom. He needed her to stop treating his other half like he was another person, like Phantom was some kind of disability. He needed to be accepted. He needed her to prove that she loved him instead of just saying it一that didn't prove shit! Especially when she contradicted herself within the same sentence!

All he could hope for was that she would overcome her prejudice toward his ghost half. That she could bring herself to love _all _of him instead of half. That this was only a work in progress, that they'd move past this.

That's what he needed. He _needed _to move forward.

"I'll try, Mom."

Her reassurance left him less assured and more stressed. He believed that she wanted to love him. And he loved her. And if she could get past her disdain of Phantom, then everything would be alright.

That's what mattered.

"I guess I'll go now. "Gotta一gotta change."

Danny turned and left them alone. Outside of the cafeteria, he found a secluded alcove to transform. He let the change wash over him and took a hollow breath. _This is it_. He was going to dissolve Phantom's secret identity. Officially, he was going to be one person from now on.

He was glad he couldn't feel his heartbeat in this form.

Maintaining his invisibility, he phased back into the cafeteria. He watched as Ms. Pérez faced the patients, flattened her skirt, and prepared to speak. Chatter around the cafeteria diminished, and Danny could _feel_ the tension rise tenfold.

Literally.

Together, their cores exerted an intense emotional energy that would catch most ghosts off guard. Danny had to mentally walk himself through it, blocking out the assault of negative energy.

_It _can't _affect me. I'm in control of my own feelings._

After a minute or so, he managed to clear his head. Jazz had given him pointers on how to combat negative emotions, and while he'd found it useless at the time, it had come in handy fighting Spectra before. And now.

"I've received information about the specifics and permanence of your condition. Now, this isn't going to be an easy topic to cover. That's why we decided that it was best for someone else to explain it, someone who understands this condition. It's unavoidable that many of you will be displeased with this person. We can't control that he has a problematic public reputation, and neither can he. But please, for your own sake, keep an open mind. I assure you that he _is_ credible.

"You can come out now, Phantom."

Danny released his invisibility and floated to the floor beside Ms. Pérez.

The patients were dumbfounded. He could say with confidence that nearly every person's jaw dropped. Many patients swore and some even turned to their neighbor to make sure that they weren't hallucinating. Nobody was… scared, but they were definitely taken off guard. After all, he was probably the last person many of them expected. He couldn't exactly blame them; he was infamous for being _elusive_, after all.

"Uh, hi." He waved. "Nice crowd. Glad to be here tonight."

"Don't joke with them," Ms. Pérez whispered.

Subconsciously, he levitated a few inches higher. She was right, this should be a more delicate matter. "Sorry."

"Excuse me, but how is that _thing_ allowed in here?" a man protested. "This is a hospital for God's sake! _They _hurt people!"

"Yeah, Phantom's a menace!"

Danny felt his cheeks go cold. "I don't hurt anyone. And Ms. Pérez explained why I'm here. I understand your condition and can adequately explain it. It's not curable, but it's livable. And I'm here to help you adjust to it."

The protesting dwindled into deafening silence.

"There's no simple way to put it, so I guess I'll just say it. When the ecto-energy from the ghost shield passed through your bodies it changed you, permanently. You could say that you half-died, in a sense. I know that sounds stupid, but it's true. You're all half-ghosts. _Hybrids_. You're living, breathing humans that have ghost powers and can transform into ghosts at will."

"_Bullshit_," a woman hissed.

"Uh, ma'am, there's children here," Danny said.

"Then stop spewing lies! Children don't need to be told that they're _dead_! We don't need a ghost to tell us that we're dead!"

"I never said that you're dead, I just said that you're half-ghost一"

Her eyes flared red. "Well, what's the damn difference? This is absurd."

A few patients mumbled in agreement.

He tried to speak gently and ultimately failed. "Look, lady, if you're not a ghost, explain how your eyes are glowing."

"My eyes aren't一" She raised her hand in front of her face and shrieked at the light cast across her palm.

"Your powers respond to your emotions. It will take you a while to learn how to control them, but it's entirely possible. If you calm down then your powers will subside."

"Oh my God... I'm a ghost." A young man dug his fingers into his scalp. "_Fuck_. I'm一I can't一"

Similar reactions swept across the room. Some cradled themselves, others plucked at their own skin一_desperate_, trying to understand what they were. This wasn't the delivery that he had wanted. He should've been more gentle.

_Shit_.

They were freaking out, they were freaking OUT. Danny felt their emotional energy spiral, dragging him into the current. He felt their fear and denial and anger and self-loathing and一

_Snap out of it Fenton. You're the only one that can save them. Don't fall victim to _their _emotions. Listen to yours._

That's right. He was calm and collected. And he was in control of the room.

"Hey," he treaded carefully. "Can you guys hear me out before you decide that this is necessarily a bad thing? Before you panic? I know, becoming a ghost is _not_ easy. Trust me, it's hell to get used to. But you're still yourself! Yeah, your blood is a little bit green and you have weird powers, but being a ghost doesn't affect your mentality. Well, not much anyway. You'll probably all develop obsessions at one point, but that's not the end of the world!

"What matters is that you still have your personality and everything that makes you _you_. You still have a conscience and you still have morals! You're still _half-human_. You're not normal, but you're not alone either. Everyone else in this room is going through the same thing."

The negative tidal wave of emotion receded and surged. He could feel some of their anxieties subside, but many people were still on edge. And others… others reacted worse.

"You mean my _blood _isn't even normal!"

"How can an obsession be 'alright'? Are you even listening to yourself, kid!"

"I don't feel like myself, how can you say that I'm fine? I feel _wrong_!"

One after another, the halfas reacted like firecrackers. Arguing against him, insistent that this _wasn't_ okay. And it wasn't, he knew that. After his accident, he hadn't felt fine for a long time. But he had to persuade them that it was fine if he wanted to get anywhere with them.

"It's better than being dead?" he reasoned.

"How the fuck can you know that, huh?" an older man exploded. "You're a damn ghost! You say that we're still human, that we're hybrids or some shit. According to you, you're not like us, so how can you tell us what we're going through? How can you tell us what it's like to be some 'half-ghost'? I'd rather a _doctor _tell me."

Here it was. He'd been waiting for that accusation. That he's _different _than them. That he can't understand what it's like to be a half-ghost because Phantom is a _real _ghost. He could accept it, buckle under that claim and pretend that he was a full ghost. He could live under the guise that Phantom and Fenton have never been the same person. Or… he could own up to everything. He'd already come out to his parents, Ishiyama, and the doctors. He couldn't turn back now.

It was time for everything to come to light.


	7. Pulling Me Back to Earth

There it was. He'd been waiting for the accusation that he's _different _than the other halfas. That he can't understand what it's like to be a half-ghost because Phantom is a _real _ghost. It was time for everything to come to light.

Danny tried his best to smile. Not one of his cocky smiles that he'd wear in a fight, but a reassuring one.

"But I _can _tell you what it's like to be a half-ghost. I mean, I've never said that I'm a full-ghost一I've been a halfa for two years."

Almost predictably, he was met with blank stares. From their expressions, he couldn't tell if the crowd was shocked beyond belief or just didn't believe him in the first place. He should have probably clarified more.

"I don't know if I was clear or not, but halfa also means half-ghost. It's just what the other ghosts call it一Ghost Zone slang."

Still, the crowd remained unfazed by his revelation. How much would he have to spell this out?

"Anyway, I'm alive! Surprise!"

"I'm sorry," a middle school girl started. "How are we supposed to believe you're alive when you look like _that_? We're not stupid."

"I guess I didn't really explain what I meant when I said that you can transform into ghosts. Some of you have already done it accidentally—" he gestured to a few people across the room in their ghost forms, "—which is actually healthy. So don't try to fight yourself if your body tries to change forms. It may feel a little traumatic, but over time you'll get used to it."

"That still doesn't explain anything," a man insisted.

Of course it didn't. They needed an example, a demonstration. They needed to understand the difference between one's human form and ghost form. _Great_. Another live-show… not that he wasn't expecting it.

It was a lot more nerve-wracking now than it had been in front of his parents or the doctors. He couldn't place whether it was the fact that now he was changing from Phantom to Fenton or if it was the fact that there were just _so many _people. Either way, he was scared shitless.

Danny lowered himself to the floor and clutched his hands at his waist. For a moment, he debated whether to close his eyes. He didn't _want_ to see their reactions, but he was curious一compelled to watch. Against his better judgment, he decided to keep his eyes open while he changed.

He pulled on his core and made the transformation.

Now _that _elicited reactions.

The cafeteria was a whirlwind of various responses. He could feel nearly a hundred cores seize up with shock, some expressing more alarm than others.

"FUCK!"

"Oh my God, he _is_ alive!"

"Holy shit, Wes was right!"

One woman fainted and a boy phased through his chair, landing squarely on his ass. Another lady turned invisible, prompting the man beside her to scream.

Among the throng of panic there was also an air of confusion.

"Isn't that the Fenton kid?"

"Wait… huh? Phantom just一but?"

"Woah, that's Danny Fenton! How is he Danny Fenton?"

At least Ishiyama wasn't surprised. Amidst the chaos she gave him a sympathetic nod and he vaguely returned it. He tried to be cool, but he imagined he looked like a deer in the headlights. He'd expected his reveal to be a disaster, but this was too much to comprehend.

Fortunately, Maddie appeared beside him. _Thank Clockwork_. She was a life saver. He didn't know what to do.

(_It still hadn't sunk in what he had done._)

Maddie and Ms. Pérez were shouting, but Maddie's voice was far louder. "Everyone, please remain calm! Yes, he's my son! Now sit down and please listen! If you want to understand, listen to what he has to say!"

_Ancients_, bless his mom. He was far too frazzled to belt out commands like that.

After a few moments, many of the screaming patients collected themselves. The shouting dissolved into whispers and after Maddie gave a sharp, deliberate cough the room fell completely silent. The audience had wedged itself right under Maddie's thumb.

She patted Danny on the shoulder, encouraging him to continue, but didn't want to continue. He just wanted to run away now.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "As I said, I'm also half-ghost. I get what you guys are going through because I've gone through it一alone. And I can help you guys if you're willing to listen to me."

An unfamiliar, echoey voice ran through the room. "I just don't get it! How are you like this? What happened to you? How are you Phantom一no, how are you Fenton? How are you the same person?"

Other patients exclaimed in agreement.

"I mean, the same thing happened to me that happened to you," he explained. "I got zapped by one of my parents' inventions. The electricity and the ectoplasm _changed_ me. For you guys, that's what happened with the ghost shield.

"When I woke up, I was in my ghost form. I panicked and managed to change back into human form, and I decided not to tell anyone what had happened to me. I pretended that I was still normal. Eventually, I began to cope with it all and learned to transform at will. That's about the time I developed a name for my alter-ego and became Phantom. I practiced my powers by defending the town from other ghosts, and that became my obsession."

"What do you mean by obsession?" a raucous voice called out. "You… you said something about obsessions earlier."

Danny pulled down on his shirt's collar. "All ghosts have an obsession that keeps them from moving on to what's next. For half-ghosts, obsessions are just sort of compulsory since we're still alive. It's like it's built into our code, but doesn't run a real function like it would a real ghost. Think of it like a motivation or an emotional anchor. Also, you're not really supposed to talk about them or ask ghosts what their obsessions are. It's all personal. I'm sure you guys feel that already, that instinctive defensiveness一we all have it. My obsession is to protect others, which is why I fight malevolent ghosts."

There was a moment of pensive silence.

A red-headed woman coughed. "I'm sorry, I'm still really lost."

"About what?"

"You're… you're Phantom."

He raised a brow. "Yeah? And?"

"And you can change between being human and being a ghost? And you're saying we all can do that? Change into some ghost-version of ourselves? How does that even work?"

"I mean, your ghost side is you as much as your human side; you're two sides of the same coin. You can all transform, but since your cores are unstable, it will be difficult to control your transformations or any of your powers. The only thing you can do is let yourself change when your body is ready. You'll know when you reach that point."

Subconsciously, Danny placed a hand over his own core and focused on its steady _hum_ that juxtaposed the rhythmic pounding of his heart.

"Changing… is cold and light," he said. "It's a rush of adrenaline. It's like a fifth limb that you can swing from one form to another—it's always there in the back of your mind. I rejected it at first, but changing between human and ghost is a part of me. It's a part of you now."

"But what if I don't _want_ it to be? Can I ever be normal again?" The middle school girl pleaded. "Even if you can't一can't get rid of the ectoplasm in me or whatever, will I be able to live my life like I did before?"

"Mainly. There's going to be some differences, I'm sure. There were for me, but that's because I started fighting ghosts all the time. Overall, you should be able to live normally, given that the Guys in White don't try to snatch us all up, which I doubt they will because they lack the resources."

The room tensed again. They must have not realized that they were vulnerable to ghost hunters now. He could sense paranoia. Raw fear. It wasn't entirely new to him though一he lived in fear of ghost hunters every day. This influx of new emotion wouldn't overwhelm him either.

"What if they do capture us, though?" someone asked.

That would definitely be… disastrous. But he was _certain _that they wouldn't try something so damn risky. On top of getting their asses kicked, they couldn't afford the bad publicity and lawsuits.

He met eye contact with as many people as he could. "I'll put a stop to it. You have my word."

His words swayed most of the crowd. People still trusted Phantom, even if he was Danny Fenton. Some people saw past his promise, though.

"I just don't get how we can keep this a secret from ghost hunters, especially government contracted ghost hunters! Are we supposed to keep this from our families? It just seems impossible! Sure, you might have hidden this for two years, but with this many people, everyone's going to find out!"

"That's true," he conceded. "Everyone's going to find out one way or another. This is too big to hide. You guys are best off telling your loved ones before they hear rumors一because there _will_ be rumors."

"So, what? I'm just supposed to tell my husband I'm a _ghost_? Tell me how the hell I'm supposed to do that, _Phantom_."

Danny tried not to glance at Maddie. "I'd… try being honest with them and make it clear that you're still yourself. Use me as an example if you have to. I don't expect any of you to keep my secret now, anyway." He laughed. "It's not every day you find out that the town's ghost hero is actually human, I guess."

That wasn't funny at all. Why was he even trying?

"I have a question!" Zahair tried raising his hand, but he ended up levitating a few feet higher in the air. The seven-year-old toppled sideways and the hospital staff had to pull him back into his chair. Even though it was _wildly_ inappropriate, Danny fought not to laugh.

"Yeah, Zahair?"

The ghost kid beamed. "First, how come you never told me you were this cool! Second, since I'm a ghost, do I still need to eat? Because if I can't ever eat chicken nuggets I'll be sad for the rest of my life."

"Yes, you can still eat," Danny chuckled. "And I couldn't tell you because I didn't really want anyone to know I'm a ghost. But today, I decided that it's more important to come out than to let you guys suffer."

"Oh, that's cool!" Zahair relaxed.

Most people were still far from assured.

"So if there's nothing here that you can do to fix us, can we just go home?" someone asked.

Ms. Pérez beat Danny to the chase. "We cannot turn you human again, but we still need to go over a few things before you're released. We'll need to evaluate everyone in case of complications. That, and well…" she nudged Danny.

"Oh, right! The ectoplasm. Your bodies require a lot of energy, more energy than human food will give you. Basically, to nourish yourselves you need to eat ectoplasm from time to time. We're gonna hook you up with some here. I promise it's not as scary as it sounds."

That was a lie. Drinking ectoplasm was _definitely _terrifying. Danny couldn't stand losing control, and ectoplasm enticed him like a moth to a flame. He felt feral when he drank ectoplasm. Animalistic. That would frighten anyone, and he didn't want to scare them any more than necessary. After all, they _needed_ to be open-minded if they wanted to stabilize.

An abrupt voice drew him from his thoughts.

"Is ectoplasm vegan?"

Danny almost choked. "What?"

A blonde woman near the back of the room scoffed. "I asked if it's _vegan_? Is it made from animal products?"

"No! It's一" He shook his head "Do you not know what ectoplasm _is_?"

"I'm not drinking anything that's made from animals."

"Look, lady, it's what ghosts are made of. It's pretty much anti-Carbon, the molecular building block of the Ghost Zone. I promise you're not killing any animals or anything."

"Good." She huffed.

Beside him, there was a sharp _clap_.

"Alright," Maddie cut in. "Any more _relevant_ questions?"

He could see on their faces that many people still had questions, but none of them could find the courage to voice their inquiries. It reminded him of school when the teacher would ask if everyone understood the homework and _nobody _understood it, but no one would speak out. In those instances, how were you supposed to admit you were lost when it feels like you were the only person that was confused?

Suddenly, Danny pitied his teachers.

"There's no stupid questions," he said. Even though there were plenty of stupid questions, it was better to ask something stupid than to be confused. He wished he'd figured that out before his GPA tanked.

Still, no one spoke. For a good twenty seconds, everyone in the cafeteria avoided his eyes.

"Okay," he surrendered. "I guess that's it then. Meeting adjourned or whatever."

He looked to Ms. Pérez, and she started directing the patients out of the room. Many of them were indignant at the abrupt departure but Danny tried not to think about it. Instead, he backed away from the action and stood beside Maddie.

"That went better than I thought," he admitted. "No one attacked me, so that's a bonus."

Maddie placed her hand on his back. "You did good, sweetie."

He didn't feel like he did good. Sure, he explained what he needed to, but he could've been more clear. At least in hindsight. "Thanks."

"I'm really, really proud of you. What you did was really brave."

He still hadn't processed it. The reveal. _Still_. "I一I guess."

"I'm going to help Jazz and your father bring in a few tubs of ectoplasm. And before you offer, we have it covered. You need to rest for a few minutes, I can see how stressed you are."

He didn't know what stress she was picking up on, because he felt fine. He obliged anyway. "Alright."

She handed him his phone back and pushed through the crowd exiting the cafeteria. He watched her leave and then stood, only for it to occur to him that he didn't know where he was going to go. The lobby had couches, so maybe he could crash there? A nap did sound nice.

Before he could start walking, someone pulled back on his arm. Someone _strong_.

Danny's feet left the floor and he was throttled backward into a pillar facing opposite the crowd. His reflexes worked faster than his mind, fighting whoever一whatever一had taken ahold of him but they'd already gotten a good grip on him while he was too disoriented to land a blow. Before he knew it, they'd tapped into intangibility and had phased them both through a wall and another wall and _another _wall.

They came to an abrupt stop in an empty operating theater. With an ectoblast in hand, Danny spun around and faced his attacker, only to freeze as he registered who had kidnapped him.

Danny let his ectoplasm fizzle out and scowled. "Oh, it's just _you_. Next time warn me or something, asshole."

Vlad scoffed haughtily and twirled his cape around his fingers. "Now, that would defeat the purpose of kidnapping you, Daniel."


	8. Can't Be Contained

"So, what do you want?" Danny asked. "Actually, no. Why are you even here?"

Vlad's eyes flared. "Is that even a question? There's one hundred more of our species. More _halfas_. This is momentous! I'd be a damn fool not to observe them."

"You mean turn them over to your side?"

"No!" He faltered. "Actually, I've been trying to get custody of my cabinet member, Walter Weston, but that's beside the point."

Danny snorted. "You're trying to take Wes's dad under your wing? Let me guess, is he my replacement for your 'perfect half-ghost son?' He's a bit old, but whatever floats your boat, creep."

Vlad's eyes widened. "What are you even _talking_ about?"

"I don't think I have to explain it."

"You have that correct, brat. But you do have plenty to explain. For one, how could you just reveal yourself! That violates everything we've done to keep our secrets safe! All my work for the past twenty-two years, down the fucking drain!"

"Geez, relax. It's not like I outed your secret. And what was I supposed to do? Stay silent and let everyone suffer? Those people deserved to know what happened to them! Unlike you, I actually have _empathy_. What a concept, right?"

Vlad surged forward and wrapped his hands around Danny's throat. His black gloves stung his skin with a familiar chill but Danny made no move to escape Vlad's grip. Instead, he bared his teeth and met his solid, red eyes with a headstrong glare.

"Listen here, _smartass_," Vlad hissed. "You revealed that any accident with ectoplasm and electricity will make a halfa. My own accident isn't exactly 'classified,' so if anyone is ambitious enough to connect the dots… I'm over. Don't you get it?"

"Hmm, yeah. I can see how that could be problematic." He gave a mirthless laugh. "Sucks to be us."

"No fucking _shit_. You're still a hero, the Fentons' _poor little boy_ that died in a tragic accident. But me? I'm a thief, a thief who used his freak powers to make billions and threw the elections to win an entire town! God knows what other charges I've racked up."

"Maybe you shouldn't have done that stuff, then."

He tightened his grip around Danny's neck.

"It's so easy for you to be a smart aleck, isn't it?"

"I mean, when people have their hands around my throat I tend to get a bit sarcastic."

Vlad growled and released his chokehold.

"You're insufferable."

Danny rolled his eyes. "So what do you want me to do? Or did you only come here to insult me?"

"I want you to keep the public from catching on to my secret."

"And why should I do that? What's in it for me? I swear if you try bribing me一"

Vlad chuckled. "You'll find that I have much more to offer than just money in exchange for your silence."  
"And what's that? Blackmail?"

"No! I want to make another deal now that you've exposed your own secret, a contract that will be beneficial to both of us."

Danny groaned. This would likely come back to bite him later. Sure, it was in his best interest now but working with Vlad _always _turned sour. He didn't have to be duped into gaining Vortex's weather powers to figure that out. "_Fine_. What are your terms?"

"I'm a man of influence, Daniel. As the mayor, I can push the public towards a certain consensus. Once people learn about halfas, once they learn about Phantom, there's nothing you can do to stop this from becoming political. The people are going to demand that halfas should be either eradicated or protected. Either exiled or allowed to assimilate back into society."

"Okay?"

"In your current predicament, it'd be wise to have me on your side. I can sway their opinions and petition for halfas' protection. I have lawyers that can fend off the government _vultures. _And in return, all you have to do is keep your mouth shut. Because if you reveal me, who knows how halfas will be condemned? My successor may not be as merciful to our kind."

_Damn_. He was right. Danny hated that he was right. Why did Vlad have to be so good at leveraging people? No wonder he was a politician.

"Do we have a deal?" Vlad held out his hand.

He couldn't say no. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't risk letting the patients fall victim to an anti-halfa political agenda. Besides, Danny knew how Vlad worked. If Vlad suspected Danny would reveal his secret, he would target his loved ones. Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Dad… Vlad wouldn't hesitate to hurt them. _Especially_ Dad.

Danny had to say yes. But that didn't mean he had to completely surrender to Vlad's offer.

"Depends on how much you fulfill your end of the deal. Are you just going to generally support halfas, or are you going to actually step up as an activist for our rights?"

Vlad thought for a moment. "It won't be easy. It will take a fuck-ton of charisma to pull it off. Thankfully… I'm a good-looking, persuasive leader."

Danny snorted. "In what world are _you_ good-looking?"

He didn't miss a beat. "The same one where your IQ exceeds your father's ability to aim a firearm."

Just to spite him, Danny countered with, "I don't mean to brag, but Dad's shot me three times this month."

"Good for you?"

"Maybe with more training he'll be able to take down Plasmius. I'd help, of course. Now that we're on the same side and all."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "I doubt you'll be able to train him this late in his life. He's been with your mother and all she's done is taught him which end of a weapon to hold. But if you're insistent, maybe I'll take you up on your offer and grind your idiot father into the concrete with a few of my clones or twenty. I'd imagine that would tear a large cavity into the street, but nothing I can't pay for with city taxes. Daniel, are you even listening to me?"

Danny looked up from his phone. He was in the middle of taking a selfie because he figured that Vlad was just going to continue ranting and he might as well piss him off more.

It's not like he had anything left to lose.

"What are you doing?" Vlad accused.

With a green glare in his eyes, Danny threw up a peace sign and pressed the capture button. "Something stupid."

His eyes widened. "Are一are you videoing me?"

Vlad moved to grab Danny's phone, but Danny phased through him.

"Ancients, no. I'm not _that _stupid."

He made sure that he was on Phantom's account rather than Fenton's and uploaded the picture. He entered a vague caption and hit post.

"I'm just stupid enough to go viral."

Before he could react, Vlad made a second lunge for Danny's phone and tore it straight out of his hands. Vlad fumbled with the screen and scanned its content, his expression sliding from worried to distraught in a matter of seconds. "You damn fool."

Danny took his phone back and grinned. "Glad you think so." He pocketed the device and glanced around the operating theater. "I should probably go now. Mom told me to rest and she'll be upset if she finds out I didn't."

He turned towards the exit, but Vlad grabbed his shoulder.

"Why did you post that, Daniel?"

Danny shrugged. It'd been a spur of the moment decision. He was tired of listening to Vlad's drivel and felt compelled to do something spontaneous. Well, not _exactly_ spontaneous一this had been at the back of his mind all day.

He'd just wanted to spite the other halfa. Since Vlad was so upset that Danny was revealing his secret, Danny might as well take the most obnoxious route to do it.

"To make your life more difficult."

"_'__My secret's probably already been leaked but for those who haven't heard, Wes was right._' If I'm not mistaken, that confession will make _your _life more difficult. Have you lost your mind?"

"See, you're panicking! I achieved something!" He walked towards door. "See you later creep."

"Oh, you won't see me," Vlad retorted stoically.

"Good."

Danny let the door slam behind him.

Now he could find a nice couch to fall asleep on… if nothing else interrupted him. With his luck, something was destined to happen. But who knew? Maybe the universe was finally satisfied with him now that he'd revealed his secret.

But even as he entertained that idea, Danny knew that it was futile.

* * *

Whoever decided that sleep can make you _more_ exhausted after a nap should be punished. He couldn't exactly tell, but Danny estimated that he'd only gotten forty minutes of precious shut-eye before he was abruptly woken up by a jab to the neck. To top off the day he was having, fatigue was definitely _not_ fun.

"Oh my Gosh! It's really him! It's the Phantom guy—the guy that's Phantom!"

"Dude, why'd you poke him in the neck! Are you stupid?"

He didn't recognize the voices, but they were young. Perhaps later elementary or early middle school boys? He opened his eyes and confirmed his suspicions.

Two preteen boys stood over him. One had a gaudy, green cartoon shirt and brown hair and the other was lanky and had braces. When they realized that he was awake, the former defensively jumped backward while the latter froze in place, paralyzed.

"_Holy crap,_" the brown-haired boy breathed.

Danny pushed himself into a sitting position and eyed them carefully. "Hi?"

The second boy shook himself out of his stupor and pulled his friend forward. He opened and shut his jaw about three times before he managed to speak.

"You're一you're him, right? The一that guy from the tweet? You're Phantom like that一that Wes guy says?"

Danny rubbed his eyes. "I'm一uh, yeah?"

The first boy elbowed the other. "I told you Kevin! I friggin' told you!"

Kevin's eyes widened. "No way! You're my hero!"

Usually when he received that sort of praise, it was after he'd done something. It felt foreign to hear someone say it without any precedent. "Oh, thanks?"

"Jessica's not going to believe this!" the first boy cried. "I don't think I believe it!"

"I don't think I do either," Danny muttered. This was all too surreal. He'd only posted his secret less than an hour ago and he was already being recognized? How many people had already seen it?

Maybe he should've waited longer before making a public admission. But if he didn't say anything before the rumors started, he'd lose control of the situation. He'd rather just blow his secret himself than let it slowly leak out. Thus, this was the best course of action. And deciding to do it in front of Vlad was the icing on the cake.

"So is it true that you're a half-ghost?" Kevin asked. "That's what Wes's theory videos all say! He says he's known for months! Is that true or is he saying that to sound cool?"

Danny backtracked. "Wes Weston's posting videos?"

_Of course he was_. He shouldn't be surprised that Wes would already be on top of this.

"Yeah, he says a lot of bad words in them."

Kevin elbowed his friend. "He kept saying the F-bomb like every five seconds but what he said still made sense. He said that your DNA is laced with that protoplasm stuff一"

"Ectoplasm," the other boy corrected.

"Oh my Gosh shut _up_, Braxton."

"You shut up! _I_ actually know what I'm talking about and you clearly don't!" Braxton stomped his foot.

"I do know what I'm talking about! Anyway, is Wes right Mr. Phantom? Are you really half-ghost because you got caught up in a freaky lab experiment and got your DNA changed?"

Wes really didn't hold back, huh? Of course, he never held back, and this was all the more reason for him to go apeshit.

"Pretty much."

"That's so cool!" they chorused.

"What made you decide to become a superhero? If I got powers, I think I'd rob the video game store... or get on the soccer team!" Braxton said.

"Yeah!" Kevin agreed. "That's what makes you so awesome, you choose to save people even though you don't have to!"

"I… it was never a conscious decision, I guess. Once ghosts started attacking the town and my friends, I realized that I had the power to stop them. After that, I just never stopped fighting."

It was a gross oversimplification of all the ghosts that sought to battle him and his protective obsession, but it was still the truth.

"If it wasn't for you, so many people would be hurt!" Braxton said. "I mean, Kevin and I would be okay but we wouldn't be in the hospital right now. A few weeks ago you saved my sister Jessica in that really big fight with Technus一she would've been crushed by that billboard if you hadn't stopped it! You even flew her home since she was too big to move around well! She's having her baby right now."

Kevin gasped. "You should totally come with us once she's given birth!"

Their offer took Danny off-guard. For a while there, it'd slipped his mind that there were still normal patients in the hospital. It was an odd realization that while he was helping half-ghosts adjust to their new nature, there were mothers giving birth only a few corridors away. It didn't feel real that this drastic change and something so mundane could coexist within the same space.

Once he processed that much, he realized what they'd actually _asked _of him, and it didn't take him long to reach a conclusion. Even though they were polite, that would just be too weird. Besides, now that he was awake again, he had to help his parents with the ectoplasm.

"Thank you for the offer but, uh, I think I'll pass."

"Aww," Kevin pouted. "It was worth a shot."

"Can you at least take a selfie with us to show her?" Braxton asked. "We can use my phone if that's okay?"

It wasn't the first time a fan had asked for a picture with him, but this was foreign territory. Firstly, who did they want in the picture, Fenton or Phantom? Besides, if they posted it online, would it seem like he was asking for attention because of his revelation?

He normally didn't decline pictures. But… it was just too soon. He couldn't do it.

Before he could refuse, he spotted Jazz storming towards him. Her fists were clenched and her eyes bled with wrath, narrowed in on him.

She looked _pissed_.

Ignoring Kevin and Braxton, she pushed past the two boys.

"_Daniel Fenton_."

He gulped. "Yeah?"

"You've got some things to explain." She crossed her arms.

_Great_. She must've seen the tweet. He wasn't getting out of this one easily.

He opened his mouth to respond, but Kevin beat him to the chase.

"Hey! Leave Phantom alone, lady!"

"He's a hero! Don't get mad at him for being half-human!" Braxton defended.

Jazz blinked. "What?"

"Uh, this is my sister," he told them. He turned back to Jazz. "And these are, uh, some fans."

"Oh. I see." She frowned. "Well, I'm sorry to steal your _hero,_ but I need to talk to my brother. _Alone_."

Without much ceremony, Jazz grabbed Danny's sleeve and started guiding him toward the elevator. He didn't protest; those kids were nice, but so overwhelming. Jazz pulled him through the sliding doors and jammed a random button.

As soon as the doors closed and the kids were out of sight, she snapped.

"I cannot _believe_ you! You're so thoughtless. Honestly, Danny, what were you trying to achieve?"

"I don't think I know what you're talking about. Care to enlighten me?"

With a single flourish, she held up her phone to his face and showed him his own post.

"_Really_?" she deadpanned. "'My secret's leaked… Wes was right'? Aren't you worried about the consequences of this tweet? The repercussions?"

He shrugged. "It's not like word hasn't started to spread already. Yeah, I really hate that my secret's out, and preferably, no one would know. But at this point, there's not much that I can do besides embrace it. In the end, I want to be the person to rip the Band-Aid off, not Tiffany Snow or Lance Thunder! So I'm gonna post a fucking selfie. _Sue me._"

Her expression darkened. "I might."  
She opened her notification tab and scrolled down. There were at least over a hundred text messages and social media notifications… only in the past ten minutes.

"_Everyone_ I know is texting me and I can't freaking focus on reading my Psychology Today article. Reading those articles calm me down, Danny. And you know what I'm not right now? _Calm. _I can't think straight!"

He couldn't really find any sympathy. He hadn't looked at his phone yet, but he was certain he had it worse. Thankfully, he'd put his phone into airplane mode before he fell asleep in the lobby, so he hadn't gotten any of the notifications yet. As soon as he switched his data back on, everything would hit his phone at once.

"Sucks to be you, then. Because clearly, I have it much, _much_ easier."

She scoffed. "Yeah, but you did this to yourself! I didn't ask for this attention!"

Well, she had him there. He could argue that he never asked for attention either, but that would be a lie. Attention was a direct consequence of posting that selfie and only a fool would deny it.

He brushed the back of his neck. "Fair."

Finally, the elevator reached the floor that Jazz had selected. They stepped out and started wandering aimlessly through the corridors. They strolled in silence and it wasn't long before Danny's thoughts caught up with him.

Those boys had idolized him. They'd been ready to attack Jazz for being upset with him and assured him that he _was_ a hero. His _phans_ knew who he was now and they would always know. Danny Fenton was a celebrity now. The _ghost boy_. That didn't… didn't seem...

_Real_.

The hallways of the hospital stretched around him, beige walls that seemed to pull endlessly into the distance. The world didn't feel like the real world anymore. This was all so bizarre that it must have been inside his head.

But wasn't his life always bizarre? As it stood, his existence was one impossibility after another. It wasn't too far-fetched that this was happening.

They turned the corner of the corridor. The hallway hadn't been that long after all. Reality wasn't as distorted as he'd initially perceived after all.

This was real.

He still didn't like that.

"How did it come to this?" he muttered.

Jazz stopped. Her brows were drawn together, suddenly concerned.

"Are you okay?" She reached out to hold his hand, but he let his fingers phase through her grip. She huffed in frustration. "Danny, are you _okay_?"

Of course he was.

(_Am I?_)

He cleared his voice. "Honestly? I don't think any of this has hit me yet. I _know_ what happened, but I can't feel it. I don't have a secret anymore, everyone knows that Fenton and Phantom are me. And I'm just numb. I don't feel anything at all. Weird, right?"

"That's called denial, Danny."

He stared at her. "It's called Daniel, Denny."

"God, I hate you."

She started walking again, not waiting for him to catch up.

He caught up to her and laughed. "At least you hate me with good reason."

"Well, it's not my fault you keep doing dumb things."

"You haven't exactly stopped me from doing them, so it kinda is your fault."

"Oh?" She placed a hand on her hip. "You expect me to be responsible for all your actions all the time? I thought you called that 'overbearing.'"

"It _is_ overbearing, but it's sort of your job."

"And your job is to make my job difficult."

"See, you get it!"

Jazz suddenly stopped walking.

"Uh, Jazz?"

"We're here," she said.

He tilted his head. Had they been walking somewhere specific all this time? He looked at where they stopped and they were standing outside of an office for one of the doctors. He read the nameplate and shot her a quizzical glance. "Dr. Ambrian?"

"Yep."

"So… why are we at his office?"

"He's going to examine you. I figured if I told you, you'd run off before we got here."

Danny failed to process her explanation. _Examine?_ What the _hell_ did that mean?

"Why? Wh一what's he going to do to me?"

She sighed. "I knew you'd react this way."

"_That's not an answer_."

"You're going to be fine, stop being overdramatic. The hospital needs a baseline for the other halfas' vitals, so Mom and I volunteered you. You're the only stable halfa, after all."

That… was not the answer he had expected. Doctors made him uncomfortable, not only because he had plenty to hide (well, not anymore), but because of his experience with experimentation. Vlad, Spectra, Skulker… as much as he hated to admit, they'd left more than physical scars. He knew his comfort zone and doctors were _not_ in it.

Nonetheless, he understood. The idea of someone focusing on him, weighing all his body's quirks and oddities, was nerve-wracking. Yet, this was for the other halfas' welfare. This would help the doctors identify any complications in the patients. Not to mention, it would resolve any standing misconceptions about the nature of halfas.

Despite his discomfort, Danny _couldn't _refuse.

He bit back his pride and rolled with it. "So like, temperature and stuff?"

"Yeah, just the basics. Nothing to worry about."

Her response seemed off. Danny figured that she was likely surprised that he complied to her without much protest.

"Okay," he conceded. "I'll do as much as I can handle."

"Really? Alright then… that was easier than I thought."

"I guess I'm not doing my job right, then," he said cheekily.

She knocked on the door and rolled her eyes. "I guess not."

Moments later, the door swung open and Dr. Ambrian scrambled to keep it from slamming against the wall. He failed spectacularly.

From what Danny could glimpse of his office, it was in a state of disarray. There were papers in the air that had been swept by the force of the door and various medical devices were cluttered atop the counter. Dr. Ambrian breathlessly gestured them to enter. Danny stepped forward, but Jazz hung back.

"I一uh, think I'll leave you two alone. It's not like I _need_ to be here. Besides, I'm still supposed to help my parents with the ectoplasm."

Before Danny could protest, Dr. Ambrian replied earnestly.

"That's quite alright. It's just a few simple tests here and there. Danny should be able to pass with flying colors."

"Oh, I doubt that," Danny muttered. "Flying, maybe."

Jazz shot him an exasperated look. "Don't whine too much."

"No."

She turned to Dr. Ambrian. "I'm sorry about him."

"Nah, don't worry. He can't be any worse than some of the other patients I've examined一this field of work prepares you for all kinds of people. I appreciate a good sense of humor more than anything."

"Well, luckily he has _plenty_ of that. Anyway, I'll see ya. I have to go pour ectoplasm into paper cups and try not to burn myself."

He smiled. "Have _fun_!"

Without missing a beat, Jazz deadpanned. "You too, Patient Zero." In one swift motion, she spun on her heels and left.

He almost called out to her. Another jab just to get her to stay, but instead he let go. Despite his veneer, he wasn't ready to be alone with the doctor. He wanted Jazz, but they were right; he could handle this without her. Nonetheless, her sudden departure only catalyzed Danny's pressing dread.

With reluctant resignation, he found himself facing Dr. Ambrian.

"Alright," the doctor clapped. "How about we get started?"


	9. Pick Me from the Dark

Dr. Ambrian was a lean man in his mid-fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and a witty sense of humor. Danny realized early on that this guy could handle his self-deprecating jokes, so he didn't hold back. If Danny could make this miserable experience entertaining, he was taking that opportunity.

"Not gonna lie, accidentally breaking all of your equipment is pretty on-brand for me. According to Channel 7 News, I break everything in this town anyway. So I'm sorry if that happens."

"You're not going to break it, Danny." Dr. Ambrian rolled his eyes. "If you manage to break a blood pressure machine, I'll _actually_ be impressed."

"We'll see." He narrowed his eyes. "I don't mean to flex, but I'm pretty talented."

"You better not flex while I put this on your arm. That'd probably hurt." He wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Danny's forearm and snapped a pulse oximeter on his index finger.

"Touché."

He started tightening the cuff around Danny's arm. The blood pressure cuff wasn't irritable as he remembered, but that was probably because of all he'd endured in the past two years. This discomfort was practically nothing in comparison.

"Anything weird yet?" he asked.

Dr. Ambrian furrowed his brow. "So far… your blood pressure is normal for your age. But your heart rate on the other hand..." He glanced at the pulse oximeter. "Your resting heart rate is thirty-three beats-per-minute. Anyone else would be half-dead."

"Well, you've caught me," Danny said gravely. "_I am_."

"Never would have guessed, ghost kid."

Suddenly, something occurred to him. "Do you need to measure my vitals as Phantom too?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm pretty sure my heart rate drops even lower when I'm in my ghost form. Do I need to, uh, change? So you can get both measurements?"

"I hadn't considered that," Dr. Ambrian admitted. "But that sounds like a good plan. Could you do that for all of the tests? Uh, change between your two... sides? If you can't一"

"No! No, it's no problem," Danny blurted. "As I said earlier, I can change whenever I want. It doesn't really make me tired or anything unless I do it _super_ excessively."

"Oh. Good."

He finished tightening the cuff and recorded the data on a nearby pad of paper. Then, he released the tension and Danny held his arm where the cuff had pinched it.

"Can you, uh, do it now?"

"Oh, yeah," Danny said. Before he could think about it, he pulled on his core and transformed. He tried to brush off his anxiety, but it was difficult to ignore. It'd only been a day; he still had to get used to changing in front of others. Surely, it'd get easier with time.

(_It'll only get easier once you decide you're not going to be a coward, freak._)

Luckily, Dr. Ambrian didn't marvel at Danny's transformation. He carried on like his patient _hadn't_ changed into an otherworldly creature and wrapped the cuff back around Danny's arm. He recorded the new data and moved onto the next test: temperature.

"Stick this under your tongue," he instructed.

Danny slid the thermometer under his tongue and waited for the device to beep. Although, after a minute or so nothing had happened. Dr. Ambrian bit his lip and carefully pulled the thermometer out of Danny's mouth.

"It says 'error.' _Great_."

Danny wasn't surprised. "Told you I'd break your equipment."

"_Sure_. These digital crapsticks are finicky with regular patients, so I doubt it's all _your _fault." He rolled his eyes. "At least now I have an excuse to break out the good ol' mercury thermometer."

"You need an excuse to do that?"

"You know what I mean."

He rummaged through a drawer and found what he was looking for. He handed Danny the new thermometer and withdrew it after a minute. "Oh _wow_. That's uh一low."

"What's the diagnosis?"

"Forty degrees." He gaped. "Did you know that hypothermia starts at temperatures below ninety-five? I've never seen… _holy smokes_."

He wasn't surprised. He _did _have a cold core, after all. He wondered if halfas with heat cores would still be colder than their human forms, or if they'd be hotter. He knew that Vlad had a heat core, but he'd never really touched Vlad (who'd _want_ to?), so he couldn't say.

"I'm sure my human temperature is higher." Danny shrugged, shifting back into his other half.

After recording his baseline temperatures, Dr. Ambrian moved on to other standard tests. Height was the same, but neither of them was sure if the stress on Danny's spine would change in his ghost form, so they figured it was better to be safe than sorry. Weight was another story. He weighed 108 lbs in his human form and 72 lbs in his ghost form. He'd known that ectoplasm had less mass than organic matter, but he never really realized that it affected him. No wonder he made such an easy projectile in ghost fights.

"Were you anemic before you became, uh, like this?" Dr. Ambrian asked.

The word sounded familiar, but Danny wasn't well versed in medical lingo.

"I don't think so. What is it?"

"Anemia is low red blood cell or iron levels. Some of our patients have previously been diagnosed with anemia, so we need to check if they're at a healthy level. If you're comfortable, need just a prick of blood. No more than a prick."

Danny had hoped that they wouldn't cross the 'blood' line, but… it wasn't like they were hooking him up to tubes and shit, right? Just a little pinprick. He'd done those before, back when he got a physical in middle school. Dash had dared him to try out for the baseball team and so he'd coerced his family into getting him all the gear and the proper medical papers.

He never made it past tryouts.

"Okay then."

Dr. Ambrian wasted no time sterilizing a needle much longer than Danny initially imagined. Maybe this was a bad idea, but he held his tongue. _It's just a damn needle, you're not even afraid of those. You're just afraid he'll take to much, that he'll _experiment _on you._

"Is that, uh, a standard needle?" he blurted.

"This is what we use for complete blood count tests. It's really not much, even though it may look like a lot."

He forced himself to nod. "Fun_._"

Dr. Ambrian propped Danny's arm up on the counter and pressed his fingers into his elbow. He positioned the needle into place and met eye contact with Danny. "Ready?"

He made a noise that was supposed to be "yes," but sounded more like he'd swallowed his tongue.

"Three… two…" He pressed the needle into Danny's arm, forgoing 'one'. Danny almost ripped his arm back in alarm, but it was over before he could even process what had happened. His arm didn't even hurt, it just felt dull?

The needle drew murky, brown blood into the syringe, and Dr. Ambrian promptly pressed cotton balls onto Danny's elbow.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

His heart was erratically pounding against his skull, but he couldn't say he was mentally scarred. He was right; it hadn't been too bad.

"Mm-hmm."

Dr. Ambrian examined his blood for a moment before putting it aside. "It's sorta dark, isn't it?"

"It's the ectoplasm. Green and red don't mix well together on the color wheel, I guess. Doesn't explain Christmas, though."

He snorted. "I always figured that whatever commercialistic sockpuppet standardized red and green as holiday colors was a poor designer. I majored in medicine, and even _I_ know that's a bad color palette."

"_You_. You get it."

Doctor Ambrian laughed. "I get a lot." He spun behind him and pulled out another needle. "Ready for round two?"

Right. Phantom's blood一ectoplasm一still had to be drawn. _Damn it_. He thought that they were finished.

He transformed and phased his left arm out of his jumpsuit. "As ready as I'll ever be."

_What a lie_.

Dr. Ambrian pulled the same 'trick' as before and inserted the needle on the count of 'two,' but Danny anticipated it this time. Radiant green liquid _slurped_ into the syringe, and Dr. Amrbian nearly ripped the needle from Danny's arm to prevent it from overspilling. Ectoplasm was far thinner than blood, so it made sense that it would bleed fast.

He secured the syringe and some of the excess ectoplasm leaked onto Dr. Ambrian's latex gloves. For a moment, Dr. Amrbian only stared at the ectoplasm and Danny had the impression that he was deep in thought.

Danny's arm twinged and he was suddenly aware of his surroundings. "You good, man?"

Dr. Ambrian blinked and swiftly discarded his gloves in the trash bin. "Yeah. It's… how does it feel to be you? To switch between ectoplasm and blood, over and over?"

Danny's stomach dropped. What did it feel like to be him? To go between life and death and never be one or the other? To feel like a soul tethered to his own living flesh, to feel like a spirit chained by the weight of organs he shouldn't have? How could he describe that feeling or even find the courage to admit it?

He found a spot on the wall behind Dr. Ambrian and debated. _How?_

Dr. Ambrian must've picked up on his uneasiness because he spared no time backtracking. "You don't have to answer that."

His tongue felt like lead. He doubted he'd be able to respond if he wanted to, so he nodded.

Dr. Ambrian unconsciously "tsked" in response, and reached for a clipboard behind him. "That aside, I still have a few 'official' questions for the examination. Nothing too bad, trust me. It's just been a while since you've had your last check-up and we need a few refreshers."

"So just… regular doctor-patient questions?" he asked.

_Finally_.

"Mm-hm. So… it has here that you took allergy medicine a few years ago. Do you still take that or any other medication?"

"Uh, nope. My allergies pretty much died." He paused. "Around the time I did, I guess."

Despite the lingering tension in the air, Danny could always find a way to fall back on humor.

"And no new allergies that you haven't been medicated for? Any sensitivities?"

Danny thought for a moment. "Well, anything that normally affects ghosts affects me. Blood blossoms are the big one, so are other anti-ghost chemicals. Most of them are man-made. Superstitions like salt and holy water are bogus. Though, I think rowan wood is real. I know that my friend Sam bought some and I felt really itchy when I touched it."

"Rowan wood?"

"It's just one of those tales. I think people used to make doors with it to ward off ghosts. Makes more sense than salt, I guess."

He snorted. "Who would've thought that they were right?"

"_Right_? My parents refuse to even look into it, which I guess is good for me, but there's got to be some more superstitions that haven't been debunked worth looking into."

Dr. Ambrian marked something off on his paper. "You seem kinda enthusiastic to learn about things that could hurt you."

"The more you know, the better prepared you are. I'd rather know my weaknesses than have them used against me unexpectedly in a fight."

"Good point. Speaking of weaknesses, have you sustained any injuries over the past few years that may have permanently affected your health?"

"Besides dying? Uh, well I heal fast. I've broken my arms a few times, had a few sprains, cut open my back twice. Three times? My cornea was scratched at one point, but that healed too. Concussions don't last long either, they usually go away with a dose of Advil. Broken ribs… there was that time one _almost_ punctured a lung, but I pulled through. Hm, I can't think of anything permanent."

Dr. Ambrian was gawking and it showed. Danny waited a moment for him to get his jaw off the floor and tried not to waver under the man's gaze.

"Kid… you okay?"

"I fight ghosts, stuff's gonna happen." He shrugged. "I'm good most of the time. Think about it. How many times have you seen Phantom slammed into buildings and I just get back up? I'm pretty durable."

"I never thought of it like that. After all this time, it's hard to believe that Phantom's just some kid in a jumpsuit—like Spider-Man."

"I guess. I deliberately tried to be unassuming. I tried to stretch the connection between my ghost and human sides so thin that nobody would ever see it. In hindsight, maybe… maybe I shouldn't have tried so hard. Since it's making everything harder now. My parents, the public… nobody knows who I am anymore. I definitely don't."

_Shit_. Why did he say that out loud? He didn't mean to let that much slip, especially to some doctor he's known for less than a day. He's a medical doctor, not some therapist! Not that Danny needs therapy anyway, because he's _fine, fine, fine. _

(_Liar._)

"I'm sure you'll get through it, Danny. Like you said, you're 'durable.'"

(_Maybe physically. You're just waiting to break._)

"We only have a few more to go," Dr. Ambrian said. "Have you gotten sick at all since you've changed? Oh, and is there such thing as ghostly illnesses?"

"I don't think I've gotten sick, but that could just be because I've still got my flu shots. I don't know if there's any ghost illnesses, but now that you've brought it up I'll probably get one in the next few weeks because that's just how my luck works."

"I think it's like that for everyone. I can't tell you how many times I've celebrated surviving flu season, which is kinda impossible in this environment, and then all of a sudden I get the flu in the middle of April. Happens every time."

Danny shook his head. "_Ancients_, that would drive me crazy."

"Keep getting those flu shots and you won't have to worry about it."

"Only if ghost illnesses don't exist. Then I'll have to worry about being sick and power malfunctions. Not to mention, the only thing worse than puke is _glowing _puke."

Dr. Ambrian blinked. "Your, uh, vomit glows?"

Danny's felt the telltale burn of a blush on his face. "I guess? Uh, all my bodily fluids glow. It's not something I really think about anymore."

"All of them?"

"Well, they only really glow in the dark. Figured that out day one, brushing my teeth with the lights off. After that, everything else just sorta clicked. There's not much that surprises me about myself anymore. Ghost powers, glowing saliva, fangs—why not?"

Dr. Ambrian tilted his head so that he could not-so-subtly glance at Danny's mouth. "You don't have fangs."

Danny groaned. "Not yet. I'm still young, so apparently I have to 'grow into them.' Sounds like a pain."

He still didn't forgive Clockwork for suggesting different teething remedies.

"Will that be an issue for any of the other patients?"

"Eventually, yeah. I doubt it'll happen immediately since their cores need to mature. It just depends on age and strength."

He made some more notes on his notepad before setting it aside.

"I think that's it."

It took Danny a moment to understand what he meant. "We're done?"

"Yep. You're free, ghost kid. It was good talking with you, even when we drifted off-topic. I hope that things go well for you once this is all figured out."

"Oh, thanks."

He was vaguely aware that Dr. Ambrian was holding his hand out to shake. Danny took it without hesitation. The man's smile crinkled with something new—sympathy, admiration? He couldn't place it exactly, but his core throbbed in response. He _trusted_ Dr. Ambrian.

Danny left the man's office and started towards the elevator. He checked his phone, and Jazz had sent him a room number with a photo of Mom hunched over a tub of ectoplasm.

**jazz**

_Going as well as you'd expect, get here soon pls_

**danny**

_Can't function without me can you? omw_

It occurred to him on his way to the elevator that Dr. Ambrian had been the first person to really listen to his experiences as a halfa without stepping over any boundaries or interjecting some piece of advice. His friends and family cared about Danny, but Dr. Ambrian… he'd _understood _him. It was liberating, knowing that there was someone out there that wasn't obligated to care about him (to love him) but understood him nonetheless.

And somehow, that was enough.


End file.
